HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Briana Smith registered a career-high 25 points as Carson-Newman scored 20 of the first 21 points in the third quarter to throttle Coker 89-63 Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at the DeLoach Center.
"I think they did a good job adjusting in our zone," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "We got spread out in the second quarter. I thought the kids did a really good job in making that adjustment and keeping things pushed out a little bit. We got a lot of transition buckets. I thought the girls played really well in that third quarter and that's where the game was won."
With its seventh straight win in the series, Carson-Newman (8-3, 2-2) wins its sixth in that span by at least 20 points while Coker (1-10, 0-3) sees its home losing streak extend to 10 games, the sixth-longest in the nation.
The Lady Eagles came out of the gates firing making seven of their first nine attempts from the field using a 10-0 run to gain a 15-6 lead halfway through the first quarter as each of the five starters scored. Following a timeout, Coker responded by going on a 12-2 run as Hope Richardson made a layup on the right block to give the home team a 19-17 lead with 2:17 on the clock.
It was a 25-24 lead for the Coker as it expanded the lead to five at 29-24 before the Lady Eagles settled back into a zone defense watching the Cobras shoot 30 percent in the frame. A 16-5 run by C-N pushed the lead to 40-34 with 4:24 to go before the break. The margin reached 10 with a minute to go before Elizabeth Kincaid made the final shot of the half to send the teams into the locker rooms with the visitors on top 48-41.
Out of the break, Mincey's crew started the half on a 20-1 run, the last 14 unanswered as the Cobras did not score a point until the 3:42 mark. Overall, the Lady Eagles outscored the Cobras 27-9 shooting 53 percent while holding Coker to two of 15 shooting to take a 75-50 lead into the fourth.
The lead reached a game-high 30 points in the fourth before the Cobras rattled off eight straight limiting the Lady Eagles to 5-for-18 shooting in the fourth as C-N coasted to a win.
✅ Career-high 25 points for @bri_swish
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) December 15, 2018
✅ 7⃣ straight wins over Coker
✅ Dominating third quarter
✅ @CNwbasketball victory pic.twitter.com/OoKRVPMJKd
Smith went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line and stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, a career-high five steals and four assists.
"We stress free throws," Smith said. "Those are important part of the game. Free throws can really make a game. You can lose by three and if you miss seven, you would have won by four. I just step up to the line and focus on knocking them down."
Haris Price (Gatlinburg, Tenn.) ended the game with 18 points going 7-for-14 from the floor with six steals, four assists and four boards.
Kayla Marosites (Elizabethton, Tenn.) added her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Addison Byrd (Nashville, Tenn.) also finished in double figures with 13 points going 6-for-9 from the field.
Carson-Newman turned 22 Coker giveaways into 26 points in the game and held Coker to 13-for-50 shooting over the final 30 minutes after the Cobras went 11-for-21 in the first frame.
Coach Shannon Johnson saw the bench tally 38 points led by a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds from Hope Richardson in 19 minutes. Erin Houser and Elizabeth Kincaid each notched 10 points.
The Lady Eagles play their final game before Christmas break Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. with a trip to Mars Hill on the docket. Broadcast coverage can be found on 106.3 (WPFT-FM) and cneagles.com/live.