JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Senior guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) and sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.) netted 17 and 15 points, respectively, to lead the Carson-Newman men’s basketball team to a 66-61 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 8-9 on the season and 3-4 in the conference. Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 3-14 overall and 1-6 in SAC play.

“It was a very big win for us,” C-N head coach Daley Clayton said. “We played really well in a very difficult game. Both teams played zone and it slowed the game down, and we were both a little bit short-handed. Late in the game, we really needed to play some man and it paid off. I thought it also helped us offensively because we weren’t standing around as much.”

The Eagles shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) for the game, including 52 percent in the second half. Lenoir-Rhyne scored at a 40 percent (22-of-55) clip, but shot just 36 percent during the final 20 minutes.

Sharp turned in another solid outing for the Eagles, going 6-of-9 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, and dishing out five assists. Sharp has shot 64 percent (16-of-25) from the floor in C-N’s last two games.

“His confidence is back, and he is playing like that,” Clayton said of Sharp. “We need that from him because he’s an experienced kind of guy. As our guards go, that’s the way we are going to go. Both (Sharp and Dixon) played well enough tonight for us to win.”

Sophomore forward Quinche Dowdell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) added 14 points and seven rebounds for C-N, while senior Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) tossed in 10 points

Forward D.J. Blackmon (Albemarle, N.C.) and Jon Hathcock (Concord, N.C.) paced Lenoir-Rhyne with 15 points apiece, while Spenser Sydney (Lincolnton, N.C.) tallied 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

The teams were deadlocked at 31-31 heading into the locker room, but Lenoir-Rhyne outscored the Eagles 10-5 during the first five minutes of the second half to build a 41-36 lead.

The Eagles fought back to take a 42-41 lead on a Dixon layup with 12:47 remaining.

C-N and the Bears then battled through seven ties and five lead changes before the Eagles went ahead for good at 64-61 on a 3-pointer by Sharp with 2:08 left.

C-N returns to the court on Wednesday at home in a SAC matchup against Catawba. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.