WINGATE, N.C. – Playing without two of its starters including its All-American point guard, Carson-Newman allowed 21 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points as it was upset at Cuddy Arena Saturday afternoon by South Atlantic Conference foe Wingate 67-58.
"The rotation is going to be different," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "The flow is going to be different. Wingate did a good job defensively keeping us in front. We weathered the storm and got through the first half. The second half was right there when we got it 50-50 but it comes down to not making shots around the rim and rebounding. For us that becomes the outcome of the game."
Nineteen of the offensive rebounds came in the first and fourth frames with 20 of the 22 points off of those stick backs coming in those quarters. Carson-Newman (6-2, 1-1) outscored the Bulldogs in the middle stanzas by four but lost the other two by 13.
Wingate (6-2, 2-0) extends its home winning streak against SAC to 19 games having not lost since Jan. 14, 2017 while beating the Lady Eagles for a sixth consecutive time at home.
After scoring the first bucket of the game, C-N watched as Wingate rattled off a 9-1 run to go on top 9-3 four minutes into the game. The Bulldogs scored 11 second-chance points in the opening 10 minutes and held C-N to 3-for-15 shooting to take a 17-9 lead into the second stanza.
Coach Ann Hancock's side was able to make a push stretching the lead to a game-high 17 points at 32-15 with 3:18 to go in the first half. Mincey's unit showed some signs of life going on a 13-3 run to end the half scoring seven unanswered in the final 58 ticks to close with seven at 35-28 at the break.
�� @bri_swish stuffed the stat sheet but @CNwbasketball produced its worst shooting effort since 2016 at Wingate. pic.twitter.com/nOWxCOFkGV
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) December 1, 2018
Carson-Newman missed a wide open triple and a layup on its first possession of the second half and Wingate took advantage going on an 8-2 run out of the break to force a timeout from Mincey at 43-30 less than three minutes into the half.
The Lady Eagles once again found some rhythm holding the Bulldogs without a point over a 4:16 stretch going on a 13-2 run, the last 10 of which were unanswered to close with two at 45-43. A Jordan Quick layup with 1:20 to go was the final points of the frame making it a four-point contest going to the fourth.
After the Bulldogs made a triple to open the final period, C-N scored seven in-a-row to tie the score at 50 with 5:50 to go holding the home team without points over a four-minute stretch. The Lady Eagles offense went silent as the Bulldogs rattled off nine straight with a triple and a jumper from Caroline Averette putting the finishing touches on the run.
C-N shot 20 percent over the final 10 minutes and finished the game 17-for-66, 25.8 percent, from the field. It was the first time the club shot under 30 percent in 76 games and 1,019 days when it made 29 percent against Tusculum on Feb. 18, 2016.
"It's a disappointing loss," Mincey said. "I think it was a game that would have been a great uplifter for us if we could have pulled off a victory. We hadn't won over here in a while and to do it without those two guys would have been impressive for our guys. There were a lot of negatives but there were some positives."
Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) led all scorers in the game with 19 points going 8-for-12 at the free-throw line in the game adding seven boards and four steals.
Tori Griffin (Strawberry Plains, Tenn.) was the other C-N player in double figures finishing with 10, five of which came at the line. Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) racked up 15 rebounds picking up seven points, four assists and three steals.
Wingate shot just 34 percent from the field as Averette led her club with 16 points, nine of which came in the fourth. Teliyah Jeter posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 boards going 5-for-6 from the floor.
The Lady Eagles return to Holt Fieldhouse for the final time in 2018 Wednesday evening when Lenoir-Rhyne comes to Holt Fieldhouse for a 6 p.m. opening tip.
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