VIDEO: Lenoir Rhyne Highlights Feb. 2023
VIDEO: Full Game Replay from Feb. 2023
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Heading to Hickory, North Carolina tomorrow, Carson-Newman (10-4, 4-2 SAC) will strive to carry its home success on the road when it matches up with Lenoir-Rhyne (11-4, 6-1 SAC) at 2:00 p.m. inside Shuford Arena.
This season, the Lady Eagles are 1-4 on the road and have lost eight of their last nine road games dating back to last season. Of the four losses, three of them have been by single digits, including a double overtime loss to Lincoln Memorial in its last road game. In C-N's only double-digit road loss, it led by six at halftime to Anderson. The road woes have seen a dip in shooting. In road games, C-N shoots 39% from the field, compared to a 46% clip inside Holt Fieldhouse.
With a 40-point win thrashing of Emory & Henry on Wednesday, head coach Mike Mincey secured his 250th career victory, tying Eddie Carter for most wins in program history. During his tenure in Mossy Creek, Mincey has guided the Lady Eagles to six NCAA tournaments and five 20 plus win campaigns. His teams have won two regular-season SAC championships and two SAC tournament championships, most recently in 2022. The 2017-18 journey saw Mincey lead the Lady Eagles to a 32-3 record and a trip to the Elite Eight. In his 13 seasons, the head coach has a overall winning percentage of 68%.
After losing three of four, Carson-Newman has bounced back and won two straight games thanks to stellar play from Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.). The senior forward has scored 20 points or more in three straight games for the first time in her career. Over this stretch, she is averaging 26 points and nine rebounds per game and has made 34 of her 44 shots. Taylor is fifth nationally with her 62% field goal percentage. Already achieving 1,000 points for her career earlier this season, she is just 13 points from scoring 1,000 points in her Carson-Newman playing career.
The Lady Eagles will look to keep the good times rolling against the Bears. Mincey's team has won eight straight meetings against LR, including four straight games at Shuford Arena. During this eight-game C-N winning streak, Carson-Newman has scored 80 points in each game and won by double-digits six times. The closest meeting came in the most recent one, a Lady Eagles 80-77 victory inside Holt Fieldhouse on Feb. 20, 2023. Trailing at halftime, Carson-Newman responded and made ten of 12 shots during a six-minute stretch between the third and fourth quarters to hold off the Bears at home. Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) scored 22 points to lead four double-figure scorers for C-N in the victory.
Lenoir-Rhyne enters Saturday's affair on a four-game winning streak, three of which have come during league play. After losing its conference opener to #4 Catawba, LR has rattled off six straight conference wins, four of which have been by double-digits. The 6-1 league record has the Bears in second place, a half game back of Lincoln Memorial in the SAC standings.
The Bears have been getting it done with their defense this season. They possess the number one scoring defense in the SAC, allowing just 59 points per game. Only three teams have scored 70 points or more on the Bears this season. They have the best turnover margin in the SAC at 7.8, which is ninth nationally.
All-SAC forward Blaikley Crooks leads LR averaging 17 points per game, shooting 50% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc. Emily Harman and Mikeba Jones both average double-figures for Grahm Smith's team at 12 points and 11 points per game respectively. Harman's 74 assists this season are third most in the league and 11th most in the country.
Tipoff from Shuford Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. 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.