Carson-Newman Women's Basketball Game Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman concludes its exhibition schedule Monday evening at 7 p.m. against the University of Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena looking to build off of an impressive showing at North Carolina.
"I think over the last couple years, we would come over to [North Carolina and Tennessee] and throw the ball all over the place and it would turn into a 60- or 70-point rout," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "As we have grown and continued to play these games, thankful to Tennessee and Carolina that they allow us to do it. Our kids get more and more comfortable playing in that environment and playing against that talent level. If you can make some shots, not turn it over and rebound, you have a chance to compete."
The Lady Eagles are coming off of a 96-70 loss at North Carolina Wednesday evening as 11 players scored and no Lady Eagle played more than 22 minutes as Carson-Newman held a 54-52 lead with 2:39 to play in the third quarter.
A pair of players finished in double figures for the Lady Eagles. Senior Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) ended with 11 points and four rebounds. Western Carolina transfer Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.) ended the night with 11 points and three rebounds.
11 of the 12 active players on the roster played college basketball in 2015-16 as freshman Tori Griffin (Jefferson City, Tenn.) is the lone healthy body without experience.
"It's great as a coach," Mincey said. "I can put them in things and then they can make things out of it just because they are smart, have the experience and are good basketball players. Sometimes they make me look because of the stuff that they do. It's not coming from me. It's just the fact that they work well together. They are able to fix situations out of a press or defensively.
"We know that we have kind of failed the last couple years even though we have won 37 games. We know that it could be better. All we are hoping for is that we stay healthy. If we can stay healthy and play with all of our players, then towards the end of the year we can do better and go much further."
Monday marks the 13th straight season that Carson-Newman and Tennessee will meet in an exhibition contest since the first meeting on Nov. 7, 2004. The Lady Volunteers have won each contest scoring at least 100 points in 10 of the first 12 games.
The overall series between the two programs, led by Tennessee at 26-2, dates back to Feb. 26, 1920 when the Lady Eagles captured a 14-13 victory. Following two UT wins, C-N picked up a 36-16 win at Mossy Creek on Feb. 9, 1925. The two teams did not meet again until Jan. 29, 1969 as the Lady Vols have won 24 straight meetings.
Tennessee won the meeting in 2015 101-59 using a 19-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to expand the lead. Kailyn Brooks notched 13 points and three assists and Peterson had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mercedes Russell led all players with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead five Tennessee players in double figures.
The Lady Vols finished the 2015-16 season with a 22-14 record and advanced to the Elite Eight before being bounced by Syracuse in the regional final. It was the 35th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament and the 28th time that Tennessee has been in the final eight.
After playing the nation's toughest schedule in 2015-16, Tennessee was tabbed for a preseason third-place finish in the Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches while returning four starters from last season's unit.
Junior Diamond Deshields was picked as a preseason first-team All-SEC pick for the second straight year. The UNC transfer led UT in scoring with 14.3 points per game adding 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per night.
Russell earned a spot on the second team thanks to a sophomore campaign that saw her average 9.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Her 66 rejections in 2015-16 tied Kelley Cain for the eighth-most in a single year by a Lady Volunteer.
The top newcomer is Winthrop transfer Schaquilla Nunn. The 6-foot-3 post player posted a double-double average for the Eagles with 11.2 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Four-year starter Bashaara Graves, a second-round WNBA pick by Minnesota, Nia Moore and Jasmine Jones graduated. Andraya Carter stopped playing for medical purposes and Te'a Cooper will miss the year with an injury.
Broadcast coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the 7 p.m. opening tip on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off.
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