Carson-Newman Game Notes - Anderson Road

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (12-5, 9-2 South Atlantic Conference) women's basketball team will hit the road to face the Anderson Trojans (10-8, 6-6 South Atlantic Conference) at Abney Athletic Center in Anderson, S.C., on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.

Carson-Newman is a first place tie with Wingate for the SAC lead, with both teams 9-3 in conference play. Lenoir-Rhyne and Lincoln Memorial are in a tie for third a game back at 8-4, with Coker in fifth at 7-5 and Wednesday's opponent Anderson in a three-way tie with Newberry and Catawba for sixth place at 6-6.

"To me Anderson looks a lot like us in a lot of ways," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "They have some 3-point shooters and some kids that can handle the ball and their post players are somewhat similar to ours in terms of size and length. It will be a real challenge to go to Anderson on a Wednesday night, I'm not sure we've ever done this before going there on a Wednesday night, it's usually on a Saturday. Our kids need to be focused, energized, going into a place that should have a nice crowd and should be a nice place to play as we try to get back on the winning track."

Carson-Newman saw its three-game winning streak come to an end in its last game, falling to Newberry 83-75 Saturday at Holt Fieldhouse. After recording a triple-double on Wednesday at Tusculum, sophomore Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) once again packed the box score with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

While McLaughlin recorded Carson-Newman's third double-double of the year, the Lady Eagles were led in scoring by the 14 points of junior Lashawnda Peacher (Springfield, Tenn.), with all of her production coming off of the bench. McLaughlin and Peacher were joined in double-figures by the 12 points of freshman Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.), and senior Chante' Markus (Hummelstown, Penn.), who has now scored in double-digits in each of the past five games.

Sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) leads the Lady Eagles in scoring by averaging 11.9 points per game, just ahead of Markus' 11.5 points per contest. Markus leads the SAC with a 44.7 percent 3-point percentage mark, and the Lady Eagles remain the top scoring team in the conference by averaging 75.9 points per game.

The Trojans, coached by Jimmy Garrity, are 10-8 this season with a 6-6 mark in conference play, putting Anderson in a three-way tie with Newberry and Catawba for sixth place in the SAC. Anderson has won three of its last four games, including a 74-61 win over Queens last Saturday. The Trojans are led in scoring by two players averaging 10.3 points per game: Lesley Woods and Sierra Simpson.

 Anderson was picked to finish eighth out of 12 teams in the preseason SAC coaches poll, and no Trojans were named preseason All-SAC. Last season Anderson swept Carson-Newman, winning 60-46 at Anderson on Jan. 19, 2013, then winning in Jefferson City 58-51 on Feb. 23, 2013. Carson-Newman leads the series against Anderson 5-4.

Wednesday's game will be carried on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. with "The Countdown to Tipoff," and live audio is also available on www.cneagles.com.