Carson-Newman Game Notes - L-R SAC Tournament

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The fourth-seeded Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (16-13, 12-10 South Atlantic Conference) women's basketball team will face the one-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (23-5, 17-5 South Atlantic Conference) in the semifinals of the 2014 Food Lion SAC Women's Basketball Championship at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

This marks the first time in two years that C-N has advanced to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament, as the Lady Eagles look for their first tournament title since 2005.

Carson-Newman is coming off of quarterfinal victory over Catawba 82-48 at Holt Fieldhouse last Wednesday night.

Sophomore Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded the second triple-double of her career and this season by scoring 11 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists. McLaughlin also had a triple-double at Tusculum against the Pioneers on Jan. 22. Carson-Newman was led in scoring by the 16 points of junior Lashawnda Peacher (Springfield, Tenn.), and she was joined in double figures by the 12 points of SAC Freshman of the Year Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.), the 11 points of McLaughlin and sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.), as well as the 10 points off the bench from junior Jassmine Franklin (Lexington, Ky.).

The Lady Eagles scored the game's first four points, but most of the first half would be back-and-forth between the Lady Eagles and Lady Indians. In the first half there were three ties, and 12 lead changes before Carson-Newman took control of the game. After trailing Catawba 21-20 with 6:58 remaining, the Lady Eagles unleashed a 14-2 run that was keyed by a pair of Burstrom 3-pointers. The run put Carson-Newman's lead at 34-23 with 3:24 to go, and the Lady Eagles carried a 39-27 lead into halftime.

While the Lady Eagles didn't score their first field goal until the 13-minute mark of the second half, Carson-Newman maintained its large lead thanks mainly to solid free throw shooting. Catawba would never get closer than eight points to Carson-Newman in the second half, as the Lady Eagles shot 60 percent from the field in the second period. Junior Lacy Miller (Dandridge, Tenn.) hit a pair of critical 3-pointers in the second half to grow the Carson-Newman lead and served as benchmarks for the Lady Eagle win. Both Carson-Newman and Catawba played reserve players in the final minutes, as the Lady Eagles won by 14.

Saturday marks the third matchup of the season between Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne. The clubs split the meetings, with both teams winning on the road. Carson-Newman won the first meeting in Hickory, N.C. by a score of 80-77 on Dec. 14. The Bears then won at Holt Fieldhouse 62-48 on February 8.

In the first meeting, Sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) scored a career-high 27 points as the Lady Eagles continued to be the lone unbeaten team in SAC play, with that win getting C-N to 5-0. Burstrom's top scoring performance in her career included going 9-for-16 from the field, along with a 5-for-10 mark from beyond the arc. Joining Burstrom in double-digit scoring was freshman Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) with her 12 points, and once again senior Chante' Markus (Hummelstown, Pa.), who had then scored in double-digits the past five games as she added 11 points including a crucial layup that gave Carson-Newman the lead for good late in the contest.

In the second game at Mossy Creek, Carson-Newman scored its second lowest point total of the season, as the losing streak has now reached a then-season-long five games for the Lady Eagles.  Carson-Newman was led in scoring by junior Lashawnda Peacher (Springfield, Tenn.) who scored 13 points off of the bench and also grabbed six rebounds. She was the only Lady Eagle to score in double figures in the contest. The score was tied only once in the first half but the lead changed eight times as both teams saw several runs of five or six points to keep going back-and-forth with the lead. Lenoir-Rhyne closed the first half on an 8-2 run over the final five minutes of the half and carried a 29-24 lead into the locker room. The Bears never trailed in the second half, and the Lady Eagles would never get within fewer than a five-point deficit to Lenoir-Rhyne.

The Bears, coached by SAC Coach of the Year Todd Starkey, won the regular season SAC title, and also feature the SAC Player of the Year in Jazmine Charles. This season she led the Bears by averaging 17.5 points per game and averaging 6.6 rebounds per game, as well as 3-pointers made (48).

Saturday's tournament game will be carried on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 4:15 p.m. with "The Countdown to Tipoff," and live audio is also available on www.cneagles.com.