JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In exhibition play, Carson-Newman women's basketball competed well but ultimately fell to No. 5 Tennessee 108-63 Sunday afternoon inside Thompson-Boling arena.
"The biggest thing I wrote on the board was to compete, Carson-Newman women's basketball head coach Mike Mincey said. "We know what Tennessee is, we know what they are about. I think they are really good, and they have a lot of size. I think we competed well early. Obviously in that first quarter early and into the second was good. Overall, from start to finish I was happy with how we competed."
Carson-Newman held its own early in the first quarter. Campbell Penland's two-point jump shot got the Eagles on the board first. C-N made three three-point field goals in the first quarter and trailed by just three points heading into the second quarter.
The Eagles continued to stay close early into the second quarter. Layups from freshman Emily Gonzalez and junior Lindsey Taylor kept the Eagles within one possession.
Through fourteen minutes of game action, the Eagles trailed by just four points. But Tennessee began to turn the Eagles over and score on the other end. The Lady Vols scored 17 straight points to gain a 21-point advantage on the Eagles. They ended the first half on a 27-5 scoring run to go up by 26 points at the half.
Tennessee picked up where it left off in the 2nd quarter and scored the first nine points of the second half. The Eagles got their footing in the final 4 minutes of the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Vols 10-8. C-N got three-point field goals from sophomore Campbell Penland and senior Braelyn Wykle to help propel the strong finish to the third quarter.
C-N continued to put up a good fight into the fourth quarter. The Eagles were only outscored 22-15 in the final period.
There were plenty of bright spots in today's exhibition game. Freshman Emily Gonzalez was the team's leading scorer with 13 points on 6-9 shooting in her first game-action with C-N.
All-SAC players Braelyn Wykle and Lindsey Taylor were C-N's other two double figure scorers. Wykle made three field goals, all from long range and in the second half to score 11 points. Taylor was 4 for 11 from the field for 10 points, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds. She also had a team-high four assists.
Nine of the ten C-N players that played, scored in the game. Penland finished with eight points and made two, three-point field goals. She also a team-high three steals.
Sophomore Tori Rutherford scored seven points on just three shots and added three assists.
Junior Skylar Boshears scored six points on two of five shooting, while grabbing one board and dishing out one assist.
Carson-Newman, as a team, shoots 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. The Eagles were sharp from the free throw line going seven for nine.
Mincey's team begins the season on November 12 in Aiken, S.C. against Lander in the SAC/Peach Belt Challenge.
