VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Nick Brenegan Interview
WISE, Va.- Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) became the first Carson-Newman men's basketball player to hit 100 threes in a season as C-N led wire-to-wire in a 94-83 win over UVA Wise (10-15, 6-11 SAC) Wednesday night at the David J. Prior Convocation Center.
The win gives Carson-Newman (20-6, 13-5 SAC) its fourth 20-win campaign under head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson and the seventh for the program since it joined NCAA Division II.
"We knew this would be a challenge," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "They were motivated for their senior day. Then, you could tell, we have a little of the crud going around. From probably the 16-minute mark of the first half on, it was like we had our feet in mud. We have got to get healthy and refreshed as we close out this regular season. Credit to our guys for hanging in there."
Brenegan needed three triples to get to 100 for the year, which would move him past Ish Sanders for the single-season record of 99 set during Sanders' junior season in 2012-13. It did not take Brenegan long to get there. He opened the scoring with a three before tying Sanders five minutes later with a triple to give the Eagles a seven-point lead. His record-breaking three followed suit 30 seconds later and gave C-N a 17-9 lead with 14:20 to go in the half.
"He is the textbook example of putting the work in to give yourself a chance to reap the reward," Benson said. "He has done something that nobody else has in the history of this program. I'm not shocked. Despite the fact that everytime we play, opponents are trying to minimize his production. Trey does a nice job of making sure he gets open looks."
Brenegan finished with a team-high 26-point night. He was 9-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-13 from deep. He and Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) combined for 51 points on the night. Browder finished with 25.
With the six-three barrage, Brenegan becomes the 12th player in league history with 100 threes in a season. Sitting at 103 for the year, he is tied for the ninth-most in a season in league history with Lincoln Memorial's Couvousier McCauley (2019-20).
"Hard work pays off," Brenegan said. "I've put in a lot of time, especially shooting the ball. You get some satisfaction seeing your work come to fruition. It's a good feeling for sure."
Browder was 8-of-20 from the field and 5-of-11 from deep himself. He added in 10 boards for his ninth double-double of the year.
"Jack had his high school coach in the building," Benson said. "I know how Jack is, and he wants to impress those that matter to him and that he respects. When I saw Coach Poore here, I knew Jack was going to get excited and he did it for all 35 minutes he was on the floor. It's so commonplace for Jack to stuff the statsheet, I take it for granted."
Ben Beeker (Hendersonville, N.C.) and John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) rounded out the Eagles' double-digit scorers with 14-point nights. Beeker made his first career three on a desperation heave to beat the shotclock.
Carson-Newman only shot 43.2 percent from the field. However, the Eagles canned 14-of-37 threes (37.8 percent), and smashed the glass for a 51-35 rebounding edge.
The Eagles had 16 offensive boards to just five for the Cavs leading to a 22-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Wise shot 44.6 percent from the field, but was just 7-of-28 from deep.
The Cavs got a career-high double-double from Joel Pettiford with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Zy'Ever Wingfield added in 19 on 8-of-20 shooting, but no other Cavalier was in double digits.
"They did a nice job limiting threes from our opponent while rebounding the ball," Benson said. "We didn't have a high turnover night. We had some guys put points on the board. A lot of guys added value. I'm pleased for the grit our guys showed."
C-N grabbed a 10-point halftime lead after an 11-2 first-half run produced a healthy advantage for C-N. The Eagles extended that edge to 17 two minutes into the second half with a 6-0 run following back-to-back Brenegan buckets.
Wise cut the deficit down to five immediately with a 15-3 scoring surge. Two Patrick Shelley free throws capped the run and made it a 60-55 lead with 14:12 to go. However, C-N answered immediately.
Thanks to a Wise foul on a made basket, Browder was able to net a five-point play with a layup and a made three that took the lead back to double-digits in the blink of the eye. The play sparked a 15-2 run that put the Eagles ahead by 18, 77-59 with 9:28 to go.
"We kept great poise," Benson said. "Guys knew what our strategies were. We never hit panic and expected the numbers to come our way. As our trusty assistant KT Carter says, water will find its level. It did tonight."
Wise would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
After averaging 19 turnovers a game over its last two contests, C-N was ball secure with just seven turnovers, including only two after halftime.
Carson-Newman wraps up the road portion of its schedule Saturday at Limestone. Tipoff with the Saints is set for 4 p.m. from the Timken Center. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 p.m. with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
