VIDEO: Braelyn Wykle Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a back-and-forth affair throughout, Carson-Newman (10-6, 5-2) prevailed over crosstown rival Tusculum (14-3, 5-2) in a double overtime thriller inside Holt Fieldhouse, winning 83-81.
"We had a great crowd tonight, I appreciate everyone coming out, Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "I think you can get adrenaline when your playing at home and feeding off the crowd. I've been a part of some really good environments at Carson-Newman. Tonight's game ranks up there as one of the best ones we've had. I think that fueled us and I'm proud that we could pull it out through the fatigue of a long night."
Under Mincey, C-N wins an overtime game for the sixth time in ten games. The win extends C-N's win streak in conference play to five games.
Junior guard Braelyn Wykle scored 22 of her career-high 39 points in the second half and two overtimes to help C-N win it's 10th game of the season.
It was the Pioneers that got out to the fast start, building their lead up to eight points at 14-6 with four minutes left in the 1st quarter. Neither team would have a bigger lead than that, the rest of the way.
C-N slowly regained the lead with 5:21 left in the second quarter on two Wykle free throws. The two teams traded buckets throughout the remainder of the first half, but Tusculum led by three at the half. The first half consisted of six lead changes and three ties.
The third quarter was much of the same, but it was again the Pioneers that led after three quarters, 54-50. Entering tonight, The Lady Eagles were winless when trailing after three quarters.
Things seemed to be in the Pioneers favor with less than 90 seconds left, leading by five. Wykle hit one of her five three-pointers with 1:10 left, to bring the Eagles within 2. C-N forced a Tusculum missed field goal and got possession back. With 19 seconds remaining, sophomore Campbell Penland was fouled. She knocked down two clutch free throws to send the game to overtime.
Like Tusculum toward the end of regulation, The Lady Eagles were in control up by three points. With 33 seconds remaining in the first overtime, TU's Blayre Shultz scored a layup and was fouled. She completed the three-point play to send the game into a second overtime.
The second and final overtime was a defensive grind. Both teams scored four points in the first two minutes. With the game tied at 81 and the shot clock winding down, Wykle stepped just inside the arc, and drilled her 15th field goal, the most important one, to give the Eagles the lead and the victory.
Wykle marked career highs in points (39) and field goals made (15).
"We all know what Braelyn is capable of," Mincey said. "When she gets going and has an eye for what they are doing, she pretty much carried that through the whole game. Especially in the first half, because we weren't really getting anything from anyone else on offense. I'm just proud, she is a nursing student, has been up since 7:30 am. And then to get ready at 5:30 and drop 39 points on probably one of the top five defenses in the country is just a testament to how good of a player she actually is."
The contest featured 14 ties and 19 lead changes.
Penland scored 18 points, with half of her points coming from the free throw line. Sophomore Tori Rutherford scored 10 points off the bench, shooting three of six from the field.
Tusculum's Jami Tham scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Mya Belton scored 24 points, nailing six three-pointers.
The victory is the fourth straight win over the Pioneers. C-N is now first in the Mountain division of the South Atlantic Conference.
C-N returns to action on Saturday for a road matchup with Newberry.
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.
