HARROGATE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (8-0, 1-0 SAC) got a double-double performance from sophomore guard Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) Saturday evening as it defeated Lincoln Memorial (2-4, 0-1 SAC) in both teams’ South Atlantic Conference opener by a 68-62 score at Tex Turner Arena. The Lady Eagles are now off to their best start under Head Coach Dean Walsh.

“Zoriah had a terrific game today,” said Walsh. “The level of energy that she plays with carried us to the win. Her athleticism makes so much happen that we are able to feed off of when we make our runs.”

C-N got out to a six-point (10-4) lead at the 15:30 mark thanks to four points from senior guard Ashley Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.). The Lady Eagles would eventually lead by seven midway through the half, but LMU took a 26-22 lead behind seven straight points from Dayshalee Salaman (Carolina, Puerto Rico) with 7:10 left before the break.

Carson-Newman responded with an 8-0 run of its own to regain the lead at 30-26 and kept the momentum, outscoring Lincoln Memorial 13-6 over the last 6:25 of the half to go to the locker room with a 35-32.

In the second half, the Lady Railsplitters scored seven-straight points in a 45 second period to erase a four-point deficit and go up 42-39. C-N answered back with a 13-1 scoring burst that covered 6:00 and gave the Lady Eagles their largest lead of the contest at 54-43 with 8:16 to play.

“We are still having too many lapses in judgment but our effort was better than on Wednesday,” added Walsh. “Our defense was good in the second half and it showed with the run we were able to make.”

Lincoln Memorial tried to chip away at the Carson-Newman’s advantage but couldn’t get any closer than four points the entire rest of the way. A pair of free throws by freshman forward Dominique Jackson (North Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) with 1:05 left to go in the contest sealed the win for the Lady Eagles.

“The bottom line is it’s a road win and we did what we had to do to get it,” continued Walsh. “It is a tough place to play and we lost here last year. We are pleased to get a good conference road win.”

Williams led the way for C-N with 13 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and two steals with nine of her points coming from the charity stripe. Junior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) had a team-high 15 points and added six rebounds while Kyle hit double figures with 10 points and added four assists for a game-high.

Salaman finished the evening with 18 points for LMU to lead all scorers and tallied six steals and four assists. Amberly O’Dell (Argos, Ind.) posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds while Cena Nasiloski (Hammond, Ind.) added eight points and 10 boards as well for the Lady Railsplitters.

“We will work Monday to clean up some stuff to get ready for a tough road game at a top-10 caliber Clayton State next Saturday,” concluded Walsh.

Carson-Newman will continue its seven-game road trip on Saturday December 12 when it travels to Morrow, Ga., to take on No. 11 Clayton State University, the defending NCAA Division II Southeast Region Champion. Tipoff for next Saturday’s contest is set for 1:30 p.m.