JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles basketball team (13-7, 7-6 South Atlantic Conference) beat the Mars Hill Lions (5-16, 2-11 South Atlantic Conference) by a 61-51 score at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.

Carson-Newman was led in scoring by two players with 16 points, with both Lady Eagles having dominant halves. Senior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half, while freshman guard Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) scored all 16 of her points in the second half, helped in large part by her four three-pointers.

"We hung in there with a one-point lead at the half," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "Coming back in the second half I know we have good shooters, certainly Tatum can shoot it, and I want her to continue to shoot the ball because she has a good stroke. Those four three's she hit in the second half were huge keys to victory for us."

James did the bulk of her damage in the first half, scoring 14 of Carson-Newman's 32 points in the first 20 minutes. Senior Whitney Moody (Blountville, Tenn.) also provided a first half spark by scoring six points and hitting Carson-Newman's only three-pointer of the period. The Lady Eagles led at halftime 32-31, with Armeka Booker leading the Lions in first half scoring with 16 points.

Carson-Newman opened the second half on a 14-5 run to take a 51-36 lead with 11:43 left to play, with the bulk of the damage coming from Burstom's shooting beyond the arc.

"In the second half we got together and talked how we had to hit some threes," said Burstrom. "We knew we weren't going to get a win if we didn't buckle down and shoot threes."


The Lady Eagles shot 42.9 percent from the field in the second half, and the lead would never get under seven points in the final ten minutes.

Mars Hill guard Ansley Ricker, a native of Greeneville, Tenn., scored 14 points in the first matchup on Jan. 16, but the Lady Eagles held her to zero points in 29 minutes on the court.

Carson-Newman will next play on Sat. Feb. 16 on the road at Newberry 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.