VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Bryant Thomas Interview
VIDEO: Tripp Davis Interview
VIDEO: Ren Dyer Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (12-5, 9-4 South Atlantic Conference) limited Coker (3-12, 3-9 SAC) to one made bucket over a 10-minute stretch spanning the halftime break and utilized a 14-2 run to put away the Cobras in a 68-48 win Monday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.
Coker snagged an early eight-point lead with 9:07 to play in the first half. Carson-Newman would outscore the Cobras 27-7 over the next 14 minutes to build a double-digit lead it would not relinquish.
"If you look at the first half in terms of points allowed, 26 points allowed is pretty good," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "I really didn't like our rebounding on either end in the first half. I thought the biggest difference second half was that we were extra zesty defensively and then were able to translate those shots into points to allow us to get a little separation."
Carson-Newman won its fifth straight game to start 2022 while holding its first opponent below 50 points since March 8, 2015 when the Eagles took a SAC title from No. 3 Lincoln Memorial 63-48.
The win Monday game with phenomenal individual performances. Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) matched his own single-game shot block record with six. That figure also moved him up to 102 blocks for his career. He becomes the second player in program history with triple-digit blocks for his career.
"It means a lot especially knowing this program," Thomas said. "My mindset is to go be a defensive stopper and effect shots at the rim. I wanted to do my job at a high level and I felt like I did it today."
Thomas needs seven more rejections to catch Andy Tipton for the all-time record. He finished with four points and seven rebounds. He was instrumental in limiting the Cobras to 30.8 percent shooting after halftime and a 35.2 percent mark for the game.
"Were very fortunate to have a Bryant Thomas," Benson said. "We know what he can do and I love the fact that we have him for this season and the next. He is a dominant defensive presence in this league and on this team."
Meanwhile, Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) came within an assist of the program's fifth all-time triple-double. Dyer finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 10 boards and nine assists. It does mark the sixth double-double of his career, and as Benson noted in the postgame show on the Eagle Sports Network – C-N is undefeated when Dyer has a double-double.
�� First time holding an opponent below 50 since 2015
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 17, 2022
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"Double-double equals win with Ren," Benson said. "I wish he could've got the triple-double. He likes winning more than he likes getting accolades. He was playing so well tonight. I'm so happy for him because he had such a tough start to the season between surgery, ankle sprains and the flu. Tonight, it was all right for him."
Dyer would have had a triple-double if the NCAA rulebook allowed for assisting on your own made baskets. Dyer inbounded a ball off a Coker player's bum for a dunk late in the second half.
"The ball was moving and I was finding my guys," Dyer said. "Those nine assists don't come without them knocking down shots. They made me look good."
Dyer's efforts on inbounds were a part of his success passing his way to a career-high nine assists. Four of his nine dimes came on passes on inbounds on the baseline.
"Our end out offense tonight was a 10," Benson said. "Ren passes the ball to himself off someone's butt. He slipped a pass to Tripp on an end out. He hit BT on a nice dive. He facilitated so much on getting the ball inbounds."
Dyer was one of four Eagles in double-digits. Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also had three boards, three assists and two steals.
Ren Dyer ➡️ @Rendyer2000
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 17, 2022
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EJ Bush added in an efficient 13 on 6-of-9 shooting to along with four boards. Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.), the reigning SAC Player of the Week, extended his string of consecutive double-digit days to six, the longest in his career. Brenegan had 11 points and four assists on 4-of-8 shooting from the field with a 3-of-6 effort from long range.
"We are getting a little bit more comfortable," Benson said. "We haven't been full strength that often because of missing Tripp, Ren, BT. We haven't played that many games with the guys who started every game last season. They've finally gotten into a rhythm. The guys coming off the bench are really adding value. When I put someone in the game, I have so much confidence that they are going to come in and do the job well."
Coker had the hot hand early, burying its first three triples. However, the Cobras cooled off and went 2-for-17 from range for the conclusion of the game. The Cobras 10-minute stretch with only one bucket nearly equaled a 12-minute stretch that Lenoir-Rhyne suffered through on Saturday at the hands of the Eagles. A Raymond Bellamy layup with 17:52 to go in the second half was Coker's lone bucket from the 4:51 mark of the first half to the 14:21 mark of the second half.
The offensive swoon allowed Carson-Newman to come out of the gates in the second half with a 14-2 run to recover from the Eagles' lowest scoring first half of the season (26 points).
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 17, 2022
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Bush opened the second-half scoring with a jam before a Brenegan three-ball and a Davis and-one put Carson-Newman up double-digits – 40-28 – with 14:36 to go in the game. A 12-0 run late put the game on ice and cemented the Eagles' third 20+-point win of the year.
Carson-Newman handed out 23 assists on 28 made baskets, giving C-N 20 or more assists for an eighth time this year and a second straight game.
The Eagles were minus-five on the glass at the halftime break, but outrebounded the Cobras 22-11 after halftime to finish the game with a 36-31 rebounding margin. In spite of having 10 offensive rebounds, the Cobras only collected two second-chance points.
Carson-Newman shot 65.4 percent from the field after halftime and 54.9 percent for the game for a fifth night on the plus side of 50 percent this season.
Carson-Newman returns to the floor Saturday at Wingate. Tipoff with the Bulldogs is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
