C-N Women's Basketball Game Notes
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman dives back into South Atlantic Conference play Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Eleazer Arena to pay a visit to 23rd-ranked Newberry to face its second nationally-ranked team this season.
The Lady Eagles fell to 21st-ranked Lander 68-53 on Nov. 12 in its first effort against a ranked team this year but are 5-2 since coach Mike Mincey took over for the 2011-12 season.
"They play very sound basketball and are very fundamental," Mincey said. "It will certainly be a tough challenge for us as always. Up until last we were fortunate to get wins at Newberry which is very difficult to do. Our kids have done a good job of beating them at their own game which is low scoring. We found out about four or five years ago that you can't get them out of their pace. They are really talented."
Carson-Newman (3-3, 0-1) is 0-1 in the SAC play for just the 10th time in the 28 years as a member of the league. There are only two occasions where the Lady Eagles started 0-2. In 1995-96, C-N began the year 0-8 in conference action and in 2000-01 it went 0-4 to start the year.
Saturday will be the 50th all-time meeting between Carson-Newman and Newberry as the Lady Eagles hold a 28-21 advantage but the Wolves have won three straight contests.
Newberry toppled C-N three times a year ago including an 85-74 victory on its home floor in the SAC Quarterfinals. The Wolves were the first team since the 2006-07 season to be the Lady Eagles thrice in one year when they achieved that feat.
Kailyn Brooks scored a career-high 25 points for the third time while Nicola Handreck led the Wolves with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Newberry finished third in the league a season ago going 17-13 and 15-7 in conference action before bouncing the Lady Eagles in the SAC Championships Quarterfinals. Sean Page has a big hole to fill as All-American Samantha Creed has graduated.
The Wolves have a pair of preseason All-SAC performers as sophomore Meg Essex made the first team after being named the Freshman of the Year in the league in 2015-16. Junior guard Nicola Handreck averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists a season ago to earn a spot on the second team.
The Wolves are one of 23 teams in the nation that are still undefeated and have played five of its first six games at home. Newberry toppled seventh-ranked Limestone 62-56 on Nov. 12 as its signature win to this point. Page's group has won eight straight home games with the last loss coming on Feb. 10 when Catawba won 64-45.
Defense has been a big part of the early season success as Newberry ranks 44th nationally and third in the SAC in field-goal percentage defense yielding 34.4 percent while giving up just 56.7 points per game, 50th in Division II and second in the league.
The Wolves are the top team in the conference in possessing the basketball averaging just 14 turnovers per game this season and are posting just 62.9 points per game, sixth in the SAC. The team is 260th in the nation in rebound margin at -5.3.
Meg Essex has picked up where she left off as the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2015-16 as one of four players registering double figures per night. The center is seventh in the league in points per game with 16.4, second in field-goal percentage at 52.1 percent, second with 15 shot blocks and eighth in total rebounds with 46.
The game will be broadcast on 106.3 WPFT-FM Mountain Country and streaming online on cneagles.com/live beginning at 1:45 p.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off" on the Eagle Sports Network.
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