VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview
VIDEO: Cam McElhaney Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Senior center Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) began his climb into the top 10 in SAC history in career rejections, but that individual mark was overshadowed by Carson-Newman's (11-13, 5-9 SAC) 18 turnovers and an 80-65 loss to Anderson (8-16, 5-9 SAC) Saturday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.
Carson-Newman saw its four-game winning streak against Anderson come to a halt while dropping a fifth consecutive game for a second time this season. Carson-Newman's 10-2 start, tied for the best start in Chuck Benson's tenure as head coach, has now been followed by his only two five-game losing streaks as head coach.
The Eagles turned it over at least 18 times for a third consecutive game and a fourth time in six contests. That led to a 24-3 tally in points off turnovers in favor of the Trojans. Carson-Newman has had 33 more turnovers than its opponents in its last three games and been outscored by 47 points off those giveaways.
"Here's what I know," Benson said. "I've got 16 guys who I think very highly of, and who think highly of each other. We have guys who want to do the right things and have a strong desire to please and have proven they are capable of doing the right things. We have guys who have won, won championships and played in national tournaments.
"When I tell you that I hate what they are experiencing. I mean it. I hate what our staff is experiencing. I hate this all for them. All I can do, and all our players can do is embrace this situation and attempt to learn and improve from it. I hope it helps us find out more about ourselves so that we come out better. It doesn't feel like that. It stinks. It's not fun. It's almost overwhelming, but it is our lot. We have no choice but to strive for improvement and to keep our wits about us."
The loss obfuscates Thomas' feat. He rejected five Trojan shots and now sits on 181 for his career. He moved past Chris Wooddridge of Catawba and into a tie with Wingate's Jeff Parker for ninth on the all-time list.
Thomas led Carson-Newman with 18 points. Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) and Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) both chipped in 16 and 12, respectively.
Carson-Newman shot 44.2 percent from the field, the same figure as Anderson. However, the Trojans took 11 more shots than the Eagles and made five of those on account of the turnover differential.
Jackson Gammons led Anderson with 20 points, doubling up his season average. He was one of five Trojans in double digits. Mack Burgett, who scored seven points all last season in two meetings with C-N, tallied 16 on 6-of-8 shooting. Jalen Hillery tallied 14, while Garrett Denbow and Myles Jenkins had 11 and 10, respectively.
Carson-Newman and Anderson were deadlocked at 49 with 7:41 to go in the contest. Denbow and Jenkins buried back-to-back threes to spark an 8-0 burst that put Anderson up for good.
The Trojans outscored the Eagles in the paint 34-24. Carson-Newman remains winless this season (0-6) when outscored inside.
"What they are experiencing is definitely adversity," Benson said. "But there will come multitudes of adversity that comes their way through living on this planet. They need to figure out, through the sheltered environment of college, figure out what the right kind of responses are to these kinds of situations. It does allow us to address that. As coaches, our responsibility is to keep that before them, but also provide a sense of hope."
Carson-Newman will try to right the ship Wednesday at Tusculum. Tipoff against the Pioneers is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
