JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles basketball team (12-6, 6-5 South Atlantic Conference) fell 77-68 to their in-state rivals the Tusculum Pioneers (12-7, 6-5 South Atlantic Conference) at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.

The loss is Carson-Newman's second straight at home, and Wednesday's loss is only the third time in 17 meetings that Carson-Newman has fallen to Tusculum in games played in Jefferson City.

"Anytime you give up a home game it certainly hurts," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "Now Tusculum has caught us in the league standings and they swept us on the year. It's a double-hurt from that standpoint."

The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by senior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) with her 16 points, 12 of those coming in the first half. She was joined in double-digit scoring by seniors Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) and Whitney Moody (Blountville, Tenn.) who scored 10 and 11 points respectively.

After Tusculum began the game on a 9-4 run, the Lady Eagles answered with a 9-0 run to even the score at nine with a 12-2 run to take a 16-13 lead with 10:55 left in the first half. The run was largely keyed by buckets from James and junior Chante' Markus (Hummelston, Pa.) who scored four first half points for the Lady Eagles.

The rest of the half was largely back-and-forth, and the teams traded three-pointers in the final minute to send the game into halftime with Carson-Newman and Tusculum tied at 40. James led all first-half scorers with 12 points.

Carson-Newman jumped out to a 45-42 lead in the first two minutes of the second half, yet Tusculum responded with a 12-0 run of its own to take a 54-45 lead with 15:18 left to play.

Carson-Newman would cut the deficit to four points on two occasions, yet that's as close as the Lady Eagles would come in the second half. Tusculum hit necessary free throws in the final minutes to collect the nine-point victory, sweeping Carson-Newman in the season series.

Tusculum was led in scoring by four players in double-digits: Breaira Barksdale (21), April McCann (16), Jama Hammontree (16), and Ashley Thurman (13).

Carson-Newman will continue its homestand on Saturday against Lenoir-Rhyne at 2 p.m. Coverage of the game is available on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network, beginning with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 1:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.