JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Wrapping up the month of January, Carson-Newman (14-5, 8-3 SAC) puts its four-game winning streak and unbeaten home record on the line when it welcomes Lincoln Memorial (12-5, 7-4 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
Carson-Newman has the one-game edge on Lincoln Memorial in the South Atlantic Conference standings entering the final game of January. C-N is in third place, a half game back of second while LMU is fifth and a half game back of fourth.
Tomorrow's matchup will be the second and final time these two teams meet this regular season. 27 days ago, Lincoln Memorial overcame a 9-point deficit with 70 seconds left to force overtime, eventually winning 82-78 in double overtime. C-N was outscored 10-1 in the final 70 seconds of regulation. Despite losing that late regulation lead, the Lady Eagles battled back in the first overtime. Three-pointers by Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) and Makayla Alvey (Dandridge, Tenn.) helped overcome a four-point deficit with less than a minute to go to force a second overtime. That momentum carried over as C-N scored the first six points of double overtime, but LMU scored 12 of the final 14 points and held on for a 82-78 victory.
Carson-Newman now tries to even the season series with LMU at Holt Fieldhouse, where it is 10-0 this season. The Lady Eagles' average margin of victory at Holt is 23 points, averaging 82 points per game on 46% shooting. 12 of the 14 wins overall this season have been by double-digits. The only two games C-N won by single digits, were the two games they failed to reach 60 points. All eight conference wins this season are by double-digits.
The Lady Eagles are putting together one of their best defensive seasons. Mincey's unit has forced opponents to shoot below 38% in ten straight games. Only two opponents have managed to shoot 40% or better on C-N this season. To no surprise, Carson-Newman is first in the league in field goal percentage defense at 35.3%, a mark that is 26th in the country. The Lady Eagles lead the SAC in steals per game, getting nearly 13 per game.
C-N is averaging the fifth-most assists in the country at 18 per game. It is nine games with 20 or more assists. Five different Lady Eagles have at least 40 assists this season, while nine different players have led the team in this category as well.
Since scoring 32 points against LMU to start the month, Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) has scored in double-figures in nine straight games and is averaging 21.6 points per game, shooting 74% from the field in January. Her field goal percentage is up to 64.6%, the best mark in the country. Taylor already holds the C-N single-season record for field goal percentage at 62% in 2021-22.
Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) continues to climb the three-point charts. She is one three-pointer away from moving into seventh place all-time. She currently has 131 three-pointers in 81 career games.
After coming back and defeating Carson-Newman in double overtime on Jan 3rd, Lincoln Memorial has gone 3-4 and has won just one of its last five games. LMU is 4-3 on the road this season and has lost its last two games.
The Railsplitters shoot the most three-pointers per game at nearly 30 a night, only making about 30% of them. Like C-N, LMU has gotten the job done on defense, allowing 62.5 points per game, the second best mark in the league.
Lauren Flowers leads LMU in scoring at 15 points per game. Flowers has upped her scoring by two points in league games and has scored double-digits in six straight games. Jordan Maney is close behind at 14 points per game, with Alexa Smiddy rounding out double-figure scoring at 11 per game.
Tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse is scheduled 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.
