VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman senior guard Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) became the 40th member of the Eagles' 1,000-point club when he stroked a three to open the game.
However, Limestone (7-9, 3-4 South Atlantic Conference) spoiled the individual celebration with a late 17-3 second half run coupled with torrid shot-making to hand C-N (10-8, 4-4 SAC) a sixth straight defeat and a 73-62 loss Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
The win is Limestone's first double-digit victory in the series' 10-game history and snaps a string of four straight losses in Holt to the Eagles dating back to 2013.
"I'm very disappointed in our defensive performance," head coach Chuck Benson said. "Credit Limestone, they put the ball in the basket, but we did not defend effectively today. They capitalized. It's something we've hung our hat on for a long time, but there was nothing to hang something on today."
After Carson-Newman built an eight-point second half lead after an 8-0 run spearheaded by eight straight points from Monty Johal (Springfield, Mo.), Limestone caught fire. The Saints scored on 12 consecutive possessions and made 12 of 13 shots after starting 1-for-7 in the period.
When the dust settled, the Saints had outscored C-N 24-6 over a seven-minute stretch to turn a seven-point deficit into a 61-50 lead with 5:49 to play. The bulk of the surge came on a 10-0 run while C-N missed seven straight shots over a three-minute span.
The loss gives Carson-Newman six straight defeats for the first time since 2009 in the same season where the Eagles won eight consecutive road games for just the second time this century and the first time since making the Sweet 16 in 2001-02.
"I've never dealt with a losing streak like this," Benson said. "The only thing I know to do is to encourage our guys to learn from the experiences and double down in practices while staying together. With all that, there's one really important thing and that's for the individual to find confidence to finalize what you want from the game."
Ben Gahlert became the first opposing leading scorer to surpass his season scoring average on C-N this season. He poured in a game-high 27 on 11-of-20 shooting. Zach Laird added 15. He was 5-of-7 from deep.
Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) guided C-N with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He also added in six boards and three blocks.
Johal tallied 13, with 11 coming after halftime. He also added a career-high five assists. Brenegan rounded out C-N's double-digit scorers with 10 and four dimes.
Carson-Newman shot 42.3 percent from the field compared to 49.1 percent for the Saints. The 49.1 percent is the second-best shooting night Carson-Newman has allowed. Limestone knocked down 10-of-18 threes, the best shooting percentage by an Eagle foe this season.
"This shows you what happens when you don't protect the good stuff you have," Benson said. "We have had more success than set backs. At the end of the day, winning is hard and losing is easy. We are very inconsistent in that and it is where we are right now. It's unbelievably painful both for me and our players. All we can do is work to move forward and re-capture the individual and collective confidence that we have shown throughout the years."
Carson-Newman will look to find its footing Saturday against Lenoir-Rhyne with a 4 p.m. tip. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
