VIDEO: Tori Rutherford Interview
AIKEN, S.C. – Behind by six at halftime, ninth-ranked Carson-Newman put the clamps down defensively in the second half and outscored USC Aiken by 24 in the final 20 minutes earning its second win of the year, 75-57, at the Convocation Center on Sunday.
"You have to give Aiken a lot of credit," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "They went 8-for-12 from the three-point line in the first half. Some of that was in transition. Some of it was out of the half court. We just weren't getting any inside points. It was a weird game the way some things. It was a frustrating first half. We were shooting 29 percent and they were shooting lights out.
"I put it on the players at the half. What do you want to do? I really like how that starting five came out and took over. It really didn't take them long. They made their presence felt. Once we got over the hump, we played well down the stretch."
The Lady Eagles trailed by 10 points after the first frame watching the Pacers going 9-for-14 from the field before holding the Pacers to 9-for-41 shooting from the floor the rest of the game outscoring the team by 28 points.
Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) led all players with a career-high 21 points going 6-for-10 from the field draining five three-pointers adding nine rebounds, four steals and three assists. She led a group of four double-digit scorers in the game.
Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) finished with 18 points adding six boards, four assists and two steals. Skylar Boshears (Lafollette, Tenn.) made five of nine shots posting 14 points and three assists. Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) tallied 11 points, four boards and a pair of pilfers.
"We bought into each other," Rutherford said. "We trusted each other. They trusted me to run the point a little more than I usually do. I could kind of see the floor a little better than them sometimes so I'm glad they trusted me trying to get touches in and touches out so it opens it up for our shooters. Campbell went 4-for-7 from the three-point line. Anytime Campbell Penland can go 4-for-7 from the three-point line, I think we are going to get a dub."
Carson-Newman (2-0) captured an eighth straight victory over USC Aiken (0-2) and its fifth consecutive by double figures. The Orange and Blue posted 40 points in the paint and 17 apiece off turnovers and second-chance points.
���� Strong second half
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) November 13, 2022
�� Shot blocking
�� Career scoring night for @cjpen14
2️⃣ wins to start the year for @CNwbasketball pic.twitter.com/pv1knmTXlY
Winners of six straight on neutral floors, the Orange and Blue were 34-64 under Mincey when trailing at halftime before Sunday's comeback effort.
After the Pacers scored the first points of the game, C-N responded by scoring seven straight points and led 12-11 before the home club only to see Aiken use a 14-4 run to build up a 25-15 lead after a frame.
Mincey's club used an 8-0 scoring run to cut the margin to two points at 32-30 with 4:26 to go in the first half. Hailey Unger drained a trifecta in the final minute to make it a 38-32 game at the half going 8-for-12 from deep.
Coming out of the locker, the Lady Eagles scored the first 14 points of the half holding Aiken without points for the first four minutes of the half before Emily Trushel made a jumper. The Pacers clawed within six before C-N built a 59-51 margin going into the final period.
Aiken failed to make a field goal in the fourth quarter and the final 10:28 of the game with C-N holding the club to six points in the final period. After cutting it to an eight-point game at 61-53, the Lady Eagles closed the game on a 14-4 run to seal the win.
Three Pacers finished in double digits led by 16 points from Jentri Worley who went 5-for-6 from the floor. Unger finished with 13 points and Trushel tallied 11.
The Lady Eagles turn their focus to two more Peach Belt teams in Dahlonega, Ga. next weekend starting on Friday at 4 p.m. against Clayton State. Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 3:45 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off".
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