VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Limestone (3-4, 2-0 South Atlantic Conference) connected on 17 threes to stiff arm Carson-Newman (5-2, 0-1 SAC) 85-77 Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
The 17 threes are the third-most Carson-Newman has allowed in a game in the Chuck Benson-era. Limestone shot 47.2 percent from beyond the arc for the game (17-of-36) and 55.6 percent from deep after halftime (10-of-18).
The Saints entered the game second from the bottom in the SAC and 30th-worst nationally in terms of three-point field goal percentage (29.6 percent). The Saints hadn't made more than 12 threes in a game since burying 15 against Catawba on Dec. 8, 2021.
"My philosophy is real simple, you play the numbers," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We challenged them to do something they haven't done well this year. Tonight, kudos to them. Kudos to them. They made shots. Now did we do a good enough job on the ball making them feel discomfort, we did not. However, you look at the shot quality of the 17 they made, there were several tough makes in there. Kudos to them. They rolled the dice and it worked for them today schematically. We'll live to fight another day, and if we played again tomorrow, we'd do the exact same thing."
While the Saints' shooting effort overall was impressive. It was the marks by Sirr Hughes and Ayden Hickman that stood out. Hughes took seven threes and made them all. He's the first opposing player to take and make at least four triples in a game against C-N without missing since Tucsulum's Kobe Funderburke went 5-of-5 from deep on Jan. 6, 2021.
Hughes is also the first opposing player to hit seven threes against C-N since Marcell Haskett of Catawba buried 8-of-16 on Feb. 15, 2020.
Meanwhile, Hickman entered the game 6-of-24 from beyond the arc on the year. He was 6-for-7 on the day.
The duo combined for 43 points. Hughes had 23 and Hickman 20. The first opposing pairing to score 20 on C-N since Quay Kennedy and Jordan Walters of LMU on Feb. 1, 2023.
Zeb Graham rounded out the Saints double-digit scorers. He had 18, albeit on a less efficient 6-of-17 from the field.
For a third straight game, Carson-Newman outrebounded its opposition by double digits. C-N has done that twice this season, after doing it two times in the previous 23 years. The Eagles owned a 43-29 edge on the glass and outscored the Saints 22-0 in second-chance points. Carson-Newman had 15 offensive rebounds while allowing three to Limestone.
C-N also dominated the interior, scoring 46 points in the paint to the Saints' 16.
"We had 14 more rebounds, outscored them 22-0 in second chance points, and tripled them up in the paint," Benson said. "That is going to lead to winning a lot more often than not."
Limestone led by 12 early after rolling on a 14-0 run in the first half while Carson-Newman started 1-for-10 from the field. C-N cut the deficit to one by halftime before surging ahead by five in the second half with an 11-0 run. C-N led 53-48 with 11:54 to play following three straight Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) threes.
However, while the Saints didn't go on a run, per se, Limestone did bury five straight threes, while the Eagles made twos and free throws. With 8:15 to go, Hughes drilled his sixth three of the night to give the Saints the lead for good 59-57.
"No game is ever won in the first half," Benson said. "Tones can be set, but it's all about that second half. We made a run, and they responded with some elite shot-making. That can happen. It happened today, unfortunately. We don't hit panic. We don't hit any kind of button that changes are mode. We work at what we do and live to fight another day."
Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) led Carson-Newman with 21 points and 12 boards, his third career double-double and his second straight. He was a perfect 10-for-10 at the charity stripe. He's the first Eagle to make at least 10 freebies without missing since Tripp Davis' 10-for-10 night at Catawba on Feb. 13, 2021.
Browder was one of five Eagles in double figures. John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) added in 17 on 8-of-14 shooting. Brenegan had 13, 11 of which came in the second half.
Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in 12 to go along with six boards, while Ben Beeker (Hendersonville, N.C.) had 10 off the bench, missing his first career double-double by a rebound (he had nine boards).
Carson-Newman made three more shots in the game than the Saints. Of Limestone's 27 made baskets, only 10 were from two-point range. The Saints only made five twos after halftime.
The Eagles shot 43.5 percent from the field for the game, the second-worst shooting performance of the season.
Carson-Newman hits the road Wednesday to take on Tusculum. Tipoff from Greeneville, Tenn. is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
