HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Looking to extend its road winning streak to seven games, Carson-Newman hits the road for its longest trek of the season to take on Coker in South Atlantic Conference play Saturday at 2 p.m. from the DeLoach Center.
The six-game string started with a road overtime win at Catawba on Jan. 4. Since that game, the Lady Eagles have trailed for a total of 30 seconds holding at least a 21-point lead during the most recent five-game stretch. The only deficit for the team in that stretch came at Newberry on Jan. 18 when the Wolves scored the first points of the game 26 seconds in. Thus, Carson-Newman (15-6, 11-4) has not trailed for the last 159:04 as a visitor.
"I think it's the players being locked in on the road," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "They know what's at stake. I have been very proud of them for going on the road and winning at places that we haven't played well in the past. In some regards it has been bigger margins. I think they have been very focused and dialed in. We have shot the ball better on the road this year than we have in the past."
Saturday marks the 15th meeting between C-N and Coker (8-11, 5-10) as Mincey's crew has a commanding 12-2 lead with wins in each of the last nine outings. The average differential in that span has been just south of 30 points per game with a trio of 100-point efforts and eight with at least 80.
Coker's last win over the Lady Eagles came on Jan. 17, 2015 in Hartsville, a 68-61 win. While C-N's first road win after that was a seven-point game, Mincey's club has won by 38, 39 and 26 in its last three visits to the DeLoach Center.
When the two teams met on Dec. 14, Kayla Marosites became the school's all-time leader in career double-doubles with her 42nd as Carson-Newman crushed Coker 101-71. The Cobras made seven of their first 10 shots before the Lady Eagles reeled off a 20-0 scoring run.
Five Lady Eagles finished in double figures led by Braelyn Wykle's (Greeneville, Tenn.) 18 points. The team went 22-for-23 at the free-throw line and scored 33 points off of 20 Coker giveaways.
Coach Shannon Johnson's team has found a rhythm with wins in four of its last five including a 12-point triumph over Newberry and a 13-point victory over Wingate. This hot streak has put the Cobras one game behind UVa-Wise and Lincoln Memorial in the SAC standings for a top eight slot.
"When you look at Coker, they have always looked the part," Mincey said. "They have good athleticism. They have good rebounders. They have defended really well recently. Their key guys have played really well for them. They are a team that is capable of doing what they have done. I like their team and their starting five is solid. They could stay hot and get into the top eight of the league."
Coker has been solid at home posting a 5-4 mark in Hartsville where the team is averaging 66 points, seven more than in road affairs, while shooting better in every facet. It comes in spite of the fact that the club posts nearly 10 fewer rebounds and turns the ball over more often and commits more fouls.
Saturday's matchup presents an intriguing matchup with Coker yielding a 34 percent clip from beyond the arc, 21st-worst in the nation, against a C-N club that shoots 39 percent, seventh best nationally. The Lady Eagles made nine in the first meeting, one of five times that the unit failed to make double digits in a league game.
Despite ranking ninth in the league in rebounds per game, 37, the Cobras have the fifth-best rebounding margin in the conference at plus-three. Fourteen of the boards come at the offensive end where the team is 61st in the country. They have collected double-digit offense caroms in 16 of the 19 contests this year.
Coker is the worst free-throw shooting team in the conference with the 10th-lowest percentage in the nation, 60 percent. There have been 13 occasions where the Cobras have shot 65 percent or worse in a game. During the most recent five-game stretch, the team has made 67 of 100.
Erin Houser is the team's only double-digit scorer on average this year tallying a dozen per night. She scored 17 on 7-for-9 shooting in the first meeting. Houser has scored in double figures in each of her last six games after posting six in her first 13. The senior is the second-best offensive rebounder in the SAC with 4.5 per game grabbing 9.3 total, good for fifth.
Saturday's affair can be enjoyed on two platforms. Radio coverage can be found on 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) with an audio stream available on cneagles.com/live starting at 1:45 p.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off".
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