BRISTOL, Tenn. – Carson-Newman racked up 23 steals and 22 offensive rebounds to overcome a sluggish offensive start and earn an 80-52 victory over King Wednesday evening at the Student Center Complex.
"I think it was one of those games where the defense probably won it more so than our offense," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "Normally it is our offense. The kids are pretty active in the press and created some steals, created some turnovers. It was an abysmal performance offensively. I can't believe we put 80 points on the board."
In the 19th meeting between the two programs Carson-Newman (3-0) improves to 19-0 against King (1-2) as the Lady Eagles finished one pilfer shy of the program record for a game of 24 set twice. It is the largest win in Bristol for C-N since winning by 34 points, 81-47, on Feb. 4, 1986.
Overall the Tornado turned the ball over 30 times leading to 28 points for C-N while Mincey's club scored 25 second-chance points.
The Tornado turned the ball over 12 times in the first quarter leading nine points for the Lady Eagles as C-N shot 27 percent from the floor to start the contest. Mincey's group failed to score for nearly 3:30 before Kelci Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) converted back-to-back shots from long distance to put the visitors on top 16-9. Kristen Cupples buried a triple from the left wing as time expired to make it a four-point game after 10 minutes.
A layup from Kori West with 7:26 to play before the break made it a one-point contest at 18-17. Carson-Newman reeled off nine unanswered during a four-minute scoring drought for King to take an 11-point advantage. Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) made a driving layup with 22 ticks to play to send the Lady Eagles to the locker room on top 33-23.
With the lead 10, C-N went on a 10-2 spurt to open up an 18-point lead at 47-29 with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter. Despite scoring drought over the next two minutes the Lady Eagles took a 54-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
Carson-Newman shot 65 percent, 11-for-17, from the field in the fourth quarter to expand its lead. After Cupples made a layup, the Lady Eagles went on a 14-2 sequence in the next 2:34 to stretch the lead to 22 points before putting it on cruise control to the victory.
Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) finished with double-digit rebounds for a third straight game while registering a second straight double-double with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.) was one of three players in the game with 13 points as she added eight caroms and a pair of shot blocks.
The final double figure scorer for the Lady Eagles was Haris Price (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) as the junior scored 10 points and had five steals and three helpers.
All five starters for the Lady Eagles had at least eight points in the game while eight players had steals with Ashton Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) had a career-high five pilfers.
Cupples was the lone King player to score in double digits with 13 points going five-for-eight from the field. Off the bench, Kori West had eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of rejections. Ali Golden had nine points and Taylor Freeman added eight.
The Lady Eagles take Thursday off before traveling to the UNG Nighthawk Classic for two outings beginning with an effort against the host school, North Georgia, Friday evening at 6 p.m.
The Lady Eagles finished one steal shy of the program record. @KaylaMarosites racked up another double-double for @CNwbasketball. pic.twitter.com/LrULYhAk8D
— C-N Athletics (@CNathletics) November 16, 2017
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