VIDEO: Makayla Alvey Interview
AMERICUS, Ga. – From the opening tip, Carson-Newman (3-1) gained the lead and never relinquished it, defeating Columbus State (2-2) 77-59 on Saturday afternoon in Americus, Georgia to wrap up the GSW Classic.
Two of C-N's three wins this season have seen the Lady Eagles lead from start to finish.
"After yesterday's game we talked a lot about how we can score, but that we hadn't scored effectively through the first three games and we were able to do that much better today," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "One of the ways we can do that better is going to the bench, they really aided us early. First group scored well, second group scored well, and certainly Makayla (Alvey) came off the bench and hit quite a few jumpers. We carried that into the second and third quarters to get a 26-point lead. Lost that 26-point advantage, I think they cut it to nine, but that's just part of basketball. I was very happy to see us get the lead back up to 18 to finish the game well."
Four different Lady Eagles scored in double-figures, led by Braelyn Wykle's (Greenville, Tenn.) 18 points on eight for 15 shooting. Lindsey Taylor followed closely behind with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and 17th of her C-N career. C-N's third starter to score double-digits was Skylar Boshears (LaFollete, Tenn.) who was an efficient five for eight from the field for ten points.
Off the bench, junior Makayla Alvey (Dandridge, Tenn.) made a huge impact, scoring 14 points on just nine shots, including a pair of triples.
"She plays like she practices," Mincey said. "What you see out on the court, is what we see in practice every single day. She only knows one speed and that's full speed. She's got a great jumper and can score at the rim, and has been working on that three-point shot and it showed today going 2 of 2. She's really athletic, has great foot speed and is always going to play hard and is going to play good defense. When her offense catches up with her defense, this is the kind of performance you can get out of her.
Alvey scored in double-figures for the third time in her career and tied her career-high in three-pointers made.
"I think a lot of it was about my teammates and getting the person that was guarding me over to help on them," Alvey said. "Those type of plays got me open, along with screens and moving the ball a lot. It helped a lot."
Just like yesterday, Carson-Newman raced out to an excellent start. The Lady Eagles went on a 10-2 scoring run in the first three and a half minutes of the game. A run that saw four different players score a field goal. Leading by seven with less than two and a half minutes to go in the 1st, C-N finished the period just like it started, going on an 11-2 run to lead 32-16. The 32 points were C-N's most in a quarter this season.
That scoring run continued into the second, as the Lady Eagles scored the first six points of the quarter to increase the lead to 38-16. That was the highest the first half lead would get and Carson-Newman went to the locker room ahead 49-29.
After baskets were traded to open the 3rd, C-N went on a mini 6-0 run and lead was the biggest it would get, up to 26 points. The game changed as Columbus State rattled off 17 consecutive points and kept C-N off the board for more than five minutes. A Taylor stick back ended the Cougars scoring run.
The Lady Eagles started to get momentum back as the fourth quarter started. Back-to-back Wykle baskets increased the advantage back to 16. CSU managed to get the deficit down to nine, halfway through the fourth, but was unable to get any closer. C-N finished the game on an 8-1 run and held the Cougars to zero field goals in the final six minutes.
"We are taking gaps away much better this year," Mincey said. "They were spreading it out, putting five players on the floor that can either drive or shoot. We did a great job of defending the drive and guarding the rim. Held them to 6-30 from three, that's the key to the game.
The defense forced 14 CSU turnovers and got 15 points off the mistakes. C-N held CSU to 30% shooting and 20% from three-point range.
Through four games, the Lady Eagles defense has not allowed their opponent to shoot above 40%.
Carson-Newman shot an efficient 53% from the field, its highest percentage in four games this season and highest mark from the field since Dec 14 of last year in a 103-70 win versus Mars Hill.
In 24 minutes off the bench, Keeleigh Rogers (Farragut, Tenn.) made all three of her shots to score eight points, while grabbing eight boards.
Columbus State's Olonna Rawls played all 40 minutes, scoring a team-high 19 points on 50% shooting.
The Lady Eagles begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday evening inside Holt Fieldhouse when they welcome the Wingate Bulldogs for a non-conference game. Tip-off in Mossy Creek is set for 5:30 p.m. with the "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off", starting at 5:15.
The contest will air on cneagles.com/live and on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM. A live stream is available through FloSports with a subscription.
