JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The third-seeded
Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (23-5) got a career-high 15 points from
junior guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C.) as
they came back from a nine-point second half deficit to defeat No.
6 Wingate (14-14) by a 70-66 score Wednesday in the quarterfinals
of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
“It wasn’t pretty but it doesn’t have to
be,” said Head Coach Dean Walsh after
the game. “Wingate came in here with a great game plan,
they did a good job shutting down our inside game with their zone.
Our kids persevered and that’s what you have to do at this
time of the year to advance.”
The two teams battled back and forth for the majority of the first
half with the largest lead being six points after a 5-0 run by
Wingate to make the score 23-17. C-N responded with a 8-2 run to
tie the contest at 25 with 4:29 to go before the break. The
Bulldogs would carry a one-point advantage (33-32) into the
break.
In the second half, Wingate stretched their lead to nine at the
14:00 minute mark when they went on a 9-1 run that covered 3:04.
Down by eight with 9:35 to go in the contest, the Lady Eagles
outscored the Bulldogs 17-6 to take a 61-58 advantage, a lead they
would not surrender. Wingate would cut the lead to one point twice
within the last two minutes, but a pair of threes by Moore sealed
the victory for C-N.
“Our energy was better in the second half by the way we
rebounded,” continued Walsh. “That was an
emphasis at halftime. We did a lot better job keeping them off the
offensive boards tonight than we did at their place on
Saturday.
“The press was big for us in how it affected them. Not only
from the aspect of getting steals, but also causing them to start
running an offense with just 10 or 12 seconds left on the shot
clock.”
The Lady Eagles got the win despite being outshot 46.3 percent
(25-for-54) to 35.7 percent (25-for-70) by the Bulldogs.
Carson-Newman forced 19 turnovers, 11 of them coming as steals,
compared to just 10 miscues of its own.
“When you shoot 36 percent from the floor and 63 from the
line, you better hope that something is working, so going 10-for-28
from the three and only having 10 turnovers made the difference for
us,” said Walsh.
Moore finished the night with a team-high 15 points going 5-for-7 from behind the arc while senior guard Ashley Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) had 13 point and eight assists. C-N junior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) added 11 points and freshman guard Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.) registered nine points and five assists as well for the Lady Eagles.
Sophomore forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) had six points and nine rebounds while senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) put up seven points and grabbed eight boards for the Lady Eagles.
“Our perimeter did a great job stepping up, Candis and
Katlin along with Ashley played a great game. They were all
tremendous tonight,” continued Walsh.
“Katlin hit some big threes down the stretch for us.
She’s starting to play with a lot more confidence; her last
few games have been pretty good. I’m proud of what she did
tonight. She stepped up when some of the others didn’t have
their best going for them.”
Wingate was led by Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) with 18 points
and seven rebounds while Erica Crumlin (Irmo, S.C.) tallied 10
points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Stacie Rhodes (Knightdale,
N.C.) and Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) had 12 and 10 points,
respectively, for the Bulldogs.
“We have a challenge ahead of us in Newberry
Saturday,” concluded Walsh. “They are a well
coached team with a great inside game. We’ve had two battles
this year and now it’s tme for round three.”
Carson-Newman will advance to the semifinals of the Food Lion SAC
Tournament on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., to take on second-seeded
Newberry, which defeated Lincoln Memorial this evening, 78-56.
-Joe Matthews, C-N Sports Information
