JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman is going back to the South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Semifinals for the first time since 2013-14 thanks to a stout defensive effort in an 85-63 victory over Newberry Wednesday night at Holt Fieldhouse.
"They hit 15 three's the last time they were here," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "It put them on high alert that they can really shoot the basketball. They have won seven straight games. We had a goal to get back to Furman and to host a game. They were dialed in all day long and it was great to see. It was a lot hard effort and hustle. When they play that way, they can guard a lot of people. We did a much better job today contesting than we did a month ago."
Carson-Newman (20-9) wins for the ninth consecutive outing when hosting a quarterfinal matchup in the league tournament while snapping a seven-game winning streak for Newberry (18-9) on the year. The Wolves had not lost since falling to Wingate 61-54 on Feb. 1.
It is the first win for C-N against Newberry in the SAC Championships in five meetings while the Lady Eagles improve to 13-2 when hosting a quarterfinal contest.
Mincey's team secures the program's 18th 20-win season and the first for the school in seven years when the 2009-10 team went 24-7.
The Lady Eagles beat the Wolves for the third time this season beating a squad three times for the first time since beating Wingate thrice in 2009-10.
Each team shot above 55 percent in the first 10 minutes of play as C-N held a 23-17 advantage after the first frame. Newberry turned around and made just one field goal in the second quarter. The Wolves went the first 7:59 of the second stanza without a field until Courtney Lyons made a three-pointer.
Carson-Newman outscored the visiting group 22-6 in the second to take a 45-23 lead into the locker room. 17 turnovers by the Wolves led to 31 points for the Lady Eagles. C-N went 14-for-15 at the free-throw line as all nine players to participate in the first half scored with no one scoring in double figures on either side.
Out of the halftime break, the Lady Eagles scored 13 of the first 15 points to capture a 58-25 advantage. Newberry failed to make a field goal for nearly the first six minutes of the third quarter before a Hannah Lepaio layup with 4:08 to play. Over a 16 minute sequence, the Wolves went 1-for-19 from the field.
Entering the fourth frame, C-N held a 67-33 lead as the Wolves were able to cut the deficit to 24 thanks to a 10-0 in the opening moments while shooting 59 percent in the final 10 minutes. Newberry closed the game by scoring 15 of the final 18 points in the last 3:19 to close the gap to 22 points.
Sophomore Haris Price finished two points shy of her career-high while posting the most points in a C-N uniform by finishing with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting and making all five of her three-point attempts.
"Once I started getting hot, I think we did a great job of finding me," Price said. "Towards the end of the season I have gained more confidence. Every one has been saying I have no reason not to shoot it so I shoot it when I'm open."
Sophomore Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.) ended the night by registering 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Senior Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.) and sophomore Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) each had 15 points and senior Kaitlyn Cupples finished with 10 rebounds.
Shelby Britten led the way for the Wolves with 18 points while Meg Essex racked up a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Nicola Handreck added 12 points but turned the ball over eight times.
C-N advances to the semifinals of the league championship to play top-seeded Lincoln Memorial Saturday at noon at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. The Eagle Sports Network will be on site for the broadcast on the flagship station Mountain Country 106.3 WPFT-FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 11:45 a.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off".
