BELMONT, N.C. – Winners of a season-high four straight games, Carson-Newman returns to the floor after a 15-day break to face off with Belmont Abbey, riding a five-game winning streak, Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. from the Wheeler Center.
"During the four-game losing streak that we had we were really struggling with what our identity was," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "I think that we do have an identity the way we have played the last five or six years. Since we got back from Detroit, we have gotten back to the way we are capable of playing, the up-tempo style, scoring the ball fairly well, shooting a high percentage. We are doing a really good job on the defensive end. We have gelled together. We have good chemistry and are getting production off of the bench."
After averaging 69 points per game in November, the Lady Eagles turned it up a notch in December scoring 83.3 points on average going 5-1 during the month. While the offense has been impressive, the defense has held four straight opponents below 40 percent shooting and only one team, Limestone, has shot above that mark in the last seven affairs.
The Orange and Blue's bench has kicked it into gear as well scoring at least 20 points in six of the last seven posting 27 points per game over that period after scoring just 13 per contest in the first six cresting 20 points once in the season opener against Lander.
Carson-Newman (8-5) and Belmont Abbey (7-3) have only played twice with matchups in 1991 and 1993 coming in the NAIA District 26 Tournament. The Crusaders held off the Lady Eagles 67-66 in the first meeting before the club rebounded in convincing fashion in 1993 winning 94-66.
It has not been often that the club has faced off against teams from Conference Carolinas. Outside of King, the last time C-N played a group from that league came on Dec. 9, 2016, an 88-59 victory at North Greenville. All told, the Lady Eagles have won 10 straight against the conference since falling 82-73 to Limestone on Dec. 11, 2013. C-N also fell to Barton a month prior in 2013.
After losing its first two games of the season including a 10-point loss at Mars Hill, the Crusaders have reeled off seven wins in the last eight games with five straight victories since losing 63-61 to Anderson on Nov. 28. The unit is coming off of a 62-59 triumph at Wingate on Friday taking the lead for good with 4:37 to go.
Belmont Abbey is one of the stronger defensive teams in the country ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense allowing 53.7 points per game holding teams to 38 percent for the year. Only four teams have scored at least 60 with UVA Wise posting a 77-69 victory on Nov. 19 shooting 59 percent for the game. Likewise, only four units have shot at least 40 percent in a game this year against the Crusaders defense.
While coach Kim Lusk's team is fourth in the country in free-throw percentage making 81 percent for the year, the group attempts 15 per game for the year ranking 241st out of 294 teams shooting more than 15 in six of the 10 games. Three players rank in the top seven in the league in the area.
Abigail Crain is Conference Carolinas leading scoring sitting at 16.5 points per game after scoring a total of 95 points, 4.3 per game, as a rookie last season. She has only attempted 11 three-pointers on the year but is shooting 46 percent from the floor. The Florida native has been held to five and two points this year but has five 20-point scoring outbursts for the campaign.
Overall three players average double figures for the year with Taylor Stelley scoring 13 and Catherine Hendershott logging 10 as the trio combines for 39 of the team's 64 points per game for the year. Seven different players have scored double digits at least once for the year.
Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 1:45 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
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