VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Ousmane Dia Interview
VIDEO: Camden McElhaney Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (18-5, 11-4 South Atlantic Conference) held Lenoir-Rhyne (11-12, 6-9 SAC) to one made basket over the final 10 minutes of the contest enroute to a 91-73 win over the Bears Saturday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.
Lenoir-Rhyne shot 59.1 percent from the field in the first half, but Carson-Newman used a 14-0 run spanning the halftime break to take control and win a seventh straight in the series with the Bears.
"We told the team at halftime that we had shown some poise offensively speaking," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We knew that they were going to defend at an elite level and make it difficult for us. Late in the first half, we started to get in a rhythm offensively. But, I'm greedy. I was disappointed in our overall defense, I wanted us to get more stops. That part of me that just wants to be better, was alive and well in my heart. Second half, our guys responded, and I loved what we did defensively. They made it difficult for them to run offense. Credit to our guys with following through with adjustments and performing well when it was most important."
For the first time in series history, the Eagles have more wins than losses against the Bears. C-N now leads the all-time ledger 38-37 with a seventh consecutive win in the series. The Eagles sweep the season series while becoming the first team to score 90 on Lenoir-Rhyne this year. The Bears boast the conference's number one scoring defense.
Lenoir-Rhyne opened the contest on an 11-3 run as C-N started 2-of-8 from the field. Carson-Newman found its offensive footing after the under-16 media timeout and started to click offensively, using a 10-2 run to tie the game. The Eagles and Bears would be tied seven times before C-N finally grabbed the lead in the waning moments of the first half.
John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) sparked the run by himself. He canned two threes sandwiched around a swooping layup to give C-N a 46-40 halftime lead.
C-N shot 59.4 percent from the field in the opening half with a 7-of-14 mark from deep. Carson-Newman had the halftime edge in spite of Lenoir-Rhyne's 59.3 percent mark from the field and 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc.
Carson-Newman kept cooking offensively in the second half. The Eagles started the period 9-of-10 from the field to swell the bulge to 15, 61-46 at the under-16 media timeout. That came on the heals of back-to-back Ousmane Dia (Dakar, Senegal) buckets, a dunk and an unabated layup.
"I loved what I saw from Ousmane today," Benson said. "His presence was felt defensively. He made their bigs work to get open. Their bigs were being utilized to screen and facilitate offense. I thought our bigs did a good job of making that difficult."
Dia blocked two shots after halftime, as did Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.). They were a big part of the Bears' late second half swoon. Jaheim Taylor made a fast break bucket with 10:36 left in the second half to cut the Bears' deficit down to seven. Lenoir-Rhyne wouldn't score again from the field until the 44 second mark.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 11, 2024
The Bears missed 11 straight shots before Sam Martin snapped the streak with a layup. Carson-Newman used a 12-0 run to put the game on ice.
Zhao led the Eagles with his fourth, 30-point game of the season. He was his normally efficient self, making 10-of-15 shots from the field and 7-of-10 threes.
"I just love what he's doing offensively," Benson said. "He's evolved as an elite rebounder. His defense is improving. He'll share the ball. He's becoming a well-rounded player. He has confidence, his teammates have confidence in him. We're in a good place right now and its in part because of him."
Zhao finished with 33 points. He also had eight boards, all on the defensive glass, the second-best rebounding night of his career.
Browder turned in his eighth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also handed out a career-best six assists. Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) rounded out the Eagles' double-digit scorers. He had 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half. He was 2-of-4 from deep and has 93 threes this season, six off Ish Sanders' single-season record.
LIMITLESS RANGE FOR @JonathanZhao22
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 10, 2024
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Carson-Newman shared the ball exceedingly well, assisting 30 times on 36 made baskets. That was especially true of Carson-Newman's posts. Browder, Beeker and Dia combined for 15 of C-N's 30 dimes. Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) also had six assists.
"Our guys are always trying to evolve and grow," Benson said. "They have a good understanding of where the gold is in certain actions. They know where the opportunities are and its working well together."
Carson-Newman finished the game shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three. The Eagles held the Bears to 32.1 percent shooting after halftime. The Bears finished at 45.5 percent for the game.
The Eagles enjoyed a 48-22 edge in points in the paint. In spite of only snagging four offensive boards, C-N scored off every collected offensive rebound for a 10-3 edge in second-chance points.
Carson-Newman stays at home for Valentine's Day for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Tusculum. Pregame 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. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMbb.
