VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Tripp Davis Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (19-10) clamped down on Wingate (21-8) defensively, limiting the Bulldogs to season lows for points and field goal percentage, and advanced to the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference tournament with a 65-49 win Wednesday night at Cuddy Arena.
The Bulldogs became the third team the Eagles held below 50 points this season. Wingate shot just 25.5 percent from the field for the game. The Bulldogs went eight minutes between buckets in the second half and only connected on 5-of-21 shots after halftime.
"We challenged our guys to defend at an elite level," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Everything was stacked against us with a hot crowd, but we had the right preparation. We had the right focus about our jobs. And, this is the third season. There was a lot of determination and motivation to get to Furman."
The Bulldogs are the first team the Eagles have held below 30 percent shooting since limiting Lenoir-Rhyne to 29.4 percent shooting on Jan, 16, 2021.
Carson-Newman forced 20 Wingate turnovers, converting them into 24 points. It's the second time this season the Eagles have caused an opposing team to cough it up 20 times in a game (Tusculum on Nov. 17 is the other)
"This is a very difficult place to play," Benson said. "That's doubly true at tournament time. I think tonight was our best defensive performance of the year. I think anything short of this would not have been enough to get us a win. Our staff did some great things with suggestions to adjust mid game. It goes back to the players. Our guys followed through and did the job in a way that it needed to be done."
Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) and Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) took over the game after halftime offensively. The duo combined to score 22 of Carson-Newman's 34 second half points.
Brenegan finished with 20 on the day. A career 28 percent shooter against Wingate entering the contest, Brenegan knocked down 6-of-12 shots and 4-of-10 threes.
"Luke is our point guard, and I know I've said that before," Benson said. "But tonight he was leading and getting us to do things while being a facilitator and point maker. He was really locked in."
Brenegan was also perfect at the charity stripe, going 4-for-4.
Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) joined him in double-digits with 13 points. Davis became the 39th member of Carson-Newman's 1,000-point club in the game with his first bucket of the season half.
He was 2-of-4 from the field, but knocked down all nine of his free throws.
"I could tell the last couple days that he had a look on his face," Benson said. "And there was a serious tone to what he and we were doing. I'm not surprised by what he did. He wants to keep playing. He wants to keep tasting that success that he's had here over the last three years. He wants to either go out on top or go down swinging."
Thomas rounded out the Eagles' double-digit scorers with 13 as well. He went 5-of-8 from the field and had 10 points after halftime. Thomas added in two blocks and a steal to complement six rebounds.
Destin Clark had a double-double for the Bulldogs with 13 points and 13 boards. Jarren Cottingham added an inefficient 13 and turned it over six times. He was 2-for-10 from the field and 1-of-7 from three.
Carson-Newman seized control of the game with an 8-0 run at the mid-point of the second half to turn a four-point edge into the Eagles' first double-digit lead of the night. Davis started the spurt with a fastbreak bucket before Thomas capped it with a hook shot that put the Eagles up 43-31 with 9:26 to play.
Aundreas Wilson snapped the run with a three, but the Bulldogs wouldn't make another shot until the 1:20 mark.
Wingate logged a 36-33 edge on the boards, but only had nine offensive rebounds off its 35 missed shots. The Bulldogs had 10 second chance points, but none in the second half.
Carson-Newman shot 40..8 percent from the field (20-of-49).
The free throw line was both teams saving grace offensively. The Eagles converted on 19-of-24 freebies, while the Bulldogs were 20-of-25 at the line.
Carson-Newman continues play in the SAC tournament Saturday at 5 p.m. at Furman's Timmons Arena against top-seeded Lincoln Memorial. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 4:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
