HARROGATE, Tenn. – After an errant inbound pass allowed the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (15-6, 9-6 South Atlantic Conference) to send the game to overtime, the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (11-10, 8-7 SAC) shot 7 of 9 from the floor in the extra session to earn a 90-85 win Wednesday night at Tex Turner Arena.
Carson-Newman trailed 72-68 with 24 seconds remaining in regulation as freshman forward Allison Hodge (Blaine, Tenn.) hit a floating layup to pull the Lady Eagles within two points with 13.3 seconds left. On the ensuing inbound, a pass deflected off of a pair of hands before Hodge came away with the ball and put in a floater to tie the score at 72 with nine seconds left. LMU's Aisjah Lee had a layup that bounced off of the rim. Shea Coker had a second chance that missed prior to buzzer sounding.
"If they got it in quick, we were going to foul them," head coach Mincey said. "The kids did a good job getting a hand on the ball, get a steal and were able to put it in. We were very fortunate to go to overtime and I thought we had momentum heading to overtime."
In the overtime period, Carson-Newman took a 79-76 lead 2:38 to play before the Railsplitters scored 12 of the next 16 points to take a 88-83 with 23 seconds remaining. The Lady Eagles pulled within a possession with five seconds to play but did not get a shot the rest of the way. The five-point differential was the largest lead Lincoln Memorial held in the game.
Carson-Newman led for 16:40 of the first half and had its largest lead of the game at 29-21 with 4:59 to play in opening stanza before the Railsplitters closed out the half on a 19-9 run capped by a jumper from Katrina Ottesen with three seconds left to take a 40-38 advantage as the teams went into the locker room.
The Lady Eagles shot 48 percent in the opening half as eight different players scored in the half for Carson-Newman led by junior guard Tatum Burstrom's (Maryville, Tenn.) nine points. Lincoln Memorial's Josey Harding had 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Lincoln Memorial went 34-for-67 from the floor but converted just 18 of 33 free throw attempts to keep the visiting group in the game late. The Railsplitters turned the basketball over 18 times in the second half that led to 18 points for the Lady Eagles.
Five players scored in double figures for Carson-Newman led by senior forward Whitney Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) who had 14 points and six rebounds as she buried all eight free throw attempts. Burstrom had 13 points while Hodge and senior forward Jasmine Poole (Harrisburg, Pa.) had 12 points. Sophomore guard Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.) also added 11 points, three assists and three steals.
Lincoln Memorial also saw five players score in double figures led by Aisjah Lee's 27 points and six reounds. Lee shot 11 of 16 from the floor while going just 4 of 11 from the free throw line. Josey Harding compiled a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds to go along with five blocks.
Carson-Newman has now lost three straight games for the first time this year including five of its last seven games.
"I can't explain it to the kids as to why it's happening," Mincey said. "It's adversity and through a long basketball season it happens. I told them to hold their heads high. They battled and fought."
The Lady Eagles continue their road trip with a journey to Hickory, N.C. to take on the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station 106.3 WPFT-FM and cneagles.com/live with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off".
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