Road test for No. 10/5 C-N at Catawba

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C-N Game Notes (PDF)

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 10/5 Carson-Newman (8-1, 6-1 SAC) continues South Atlantic Conference play tomorrow afternoon when it travels to battle Catawba (7-3, 5-2 SAC) at Goodman Gym at 2:00 p.m.

The Lady Eagles continue their recent road stretch tomorrow afternoon, closing the calendar year with three consecutive road games in a week. C-N has won three of its four road games this season and has scored 90 points or more in two of those games. Mike Mincey's crew is in the middle of playing six of their final seven games of the calendar year on the road, so far going 3-1.

Carson-Newman moved back into the top ten of both national polls earlier this week. The program has now been ranked for 50 weeks holding 63-22 record when playing as a top 25 club. C-N has been nationally ranked all season.

The number two scoring offense in the country leads DII in assists per game at 20.8, while also holding the third-best assist to turnover ratio at 1.43. Defensively, C-N forces 23 turnovers and leads the conference in steals per game with 12.2.

Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) is up to 1,375 career points and is just 3 points away from passing Haris Price for ninth-most in program history. Campbell Penland's (Sevierville, Tenn.) 1,148 career points is 22nd in school history. Penland ranks first in the South Atlantic Conference in three-pointers made (25), three-point percentage (45.5) and three-point pointers made per game (2.78).

Emily Gonzalez's (Lenoir City, Tenn.) defense has been stellar through nine games this season. She has recorded three or more steals in four straight games. Her 3.22 steals per game this season ranks first in the SAC and is 18th most nationally.

The matchup with Catawba will be the second meeting in the last three weeks, with Carson-Newman winning the first meeting of the season in Holt Fieldhouse 92-80. The two squads will meet for a second and final time in the regular season, while still not having played five other teams in the conference this season. C-N's offense shot 50 percent from the field to score 92 points in the first meeting and dominated the boards with a +17 advantage.

Through seven games, both teams are top four in the conference standings with C-N being first and Catawba being fourth.

Catawba holds the slight edge in the all-time series 42-37, but C-N is 18-11 under Mincey when facing the Indians.

Since matching up with the Lady Eagles three weeks ago, Catawba has won four of five games, including four straight wins heading into this meeting. Three of the four wins have come at home, with the only road win coming against Tusculum on Wednesday by 11.

Catawba has just two home losses in the regular season over the past four seasons, with one of those losses being against Carson-Newman. It's only loss in Salisbury, North Carolina since 2021 came in this past season's Southeast Regional tournament, a 88-63 in the regional semifinals.

The Indians are a very balanced offensive team. Three players average double-digits led by Nala Baker's 11.9 points per game. Overall, seven different players average more than six points game for a Catawba group that gets the second-most bench points in the South Atlantic Conference.

Defensively, the Indians allow 70.8 points per game and forces the fourth-most turnovers in the league. Natalie Lara Fuertes is the conference's leader in steals with 31.

Tipoff is set 2:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.