VIDEO: Braelyn Wykle Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Outscoring Limestone (5-3, 1-1) by 28 points in the final 14 minutes of the game, Carson-Newman (6-1, 1-0) raced past the Saints winning 96-72 to secure its first South Atlantic Conference win of the season and fifth straight home win to begin the year.
The Lady Eagles went on a 40-12 scoring run in the final 14 minutes of the game. Limestone led by four points with just over 4 minutes to go in the 3rd, thanks to an 8-0 run. That scoring burst was the last for the Saints, as C-N obliterated Limestone the rest of the way. Carson-Newman scored 15 straight points to end the 3rd quarter and held a 71-60 advantage, its largest lead at the time. Mincey's squad continued to create separation, with a 12-0 burst to help put the game out of reach.
"Have to give credit to Coach Fox and his group," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "They haven't necessarily shot the ball well statistically, but they came in against us and put up 40 some points. The ball screens killed us in the first half, and we did a much better job navigating those in the second half and of course the scoring run was really important as well."
Up until the final 14 minutes, the two teams went back and forth, in a game that featured eight ties and 12 lead changes. A Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) triple put C-N up by 1 at the end of the first quarter.
The Saints tied the game back up with 6:39 to go until halftime on a Kalisha Hill layup. The Lady Eagles rattled off eleven of the next 16 points and held their largest lead of the opening half at six points. Limestone clawed their way back to score seven of the last eleven points to trail 45-44 at halftime.
On the first possession of the second half, Hill scored a layup to give the Saints their first lead halfway through the first quarter. The lead changed hands multiple time early in the third, before Limestone scored eight straight points to lead by 60-56, before C-N went on the impressive run to end the game.
With a season-high 28 points in today's win, Braelyn Wykle is now just 63 points away from becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. The graduate student was remarkable, making eight of her 14 shots and nailing a season-high five triples. The guard also snared down an impressive six boards.
"She shot it great again obviously," Mincey said. "That's something I'm going to miss. A lot of times I don't call timeouts when the other team is making a run because I think Braelyn is going to have an answer. She certainly had a lot of answers today. She's just so efficient and always makes big-time buckets. She has delivered time and time again. It just goes to show how great of a player she is."
"Basically, I made shots, that's what it comes down to," Wykle said. "Especially in that 3rd quarter when we were getting those stops. It was perfect for us."
Two other starters joined Wykle in double-figures. Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) had her most efficient day of the season, scoring 16 points on a four of eight clip, which included six of seven from the line. Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) had her afternoon plagued by foul trouble, but still managed 12 points on five of six shooting in just 15 minutes of action.
Off the bench, Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) scored eight points in twelve minutes. Keeleigh Rogers (Farragut, Tenn.) and Makayla Alvey (Dandridge, Tenn.) also gave C-N quality time off the bench. Rogers scored six points and snatched a team-high ten boards. Alvey filled the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds and five assists.
Mincey's group shot a season-best 56% from the field, their highest shooting mark since shooting 61% against Coker on Feb. 26, 2022. The success extending behind the arc as well, nailing a season-high eight threes on just 19 attempts. The Lady Eagles assisted on 25 of their 34 made buckets, the third straight game C-N has recorded at least 23 assists.
Carson-Newman controlled the glass, outrebounding Limestone 40-29. Outscoring the Saints 44-28 in the paint, C-N has outscored every opponent its played this season in the paint.
The Lady Eagles are now 23-12 in SAC openers and have won six of their last seven league openers. Its the fifth straight season that Carson-Newman has won its first SAC home game of the season.
Carson-Newman has now beat the Saints four straight times when the schools square off at Holt Fieldhouse and has scored 78 points or more in all four victories.
Kalisha Hill led the Saints with 22 points and nine rebounds. Reagan Kargo and Megan Watson each scored in double figures as well, with 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Lady Eagles are back in action on Wednesday evening when they battle in-state rival Tusculum in Greeneville. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 5:15 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
