AIKEN, S.C.—Carson-Newman (2-2) rode good performances from Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Sawyer Williams (Owenton, Ky.) to end its two-game losing skid and to take down the University of South Carolina - Aiken Pacers(1-3) 87-79 in the Eagles' first road test of the 2015-2016 season.
"This is a good road win. Aiken has been an elite program and to come here and leave with a win is credit to our players," coach Chuck Benson said following the win. "Despite dropping two of three at home to start the season, we got healthy and performed well today."
Clark and Williams had a combined 52 points, 27 and 25 respectively, to propel Carson-Newman back into the win column following two home losses last week. Williams added six rebounds in the win, as the junior played all 40 minutes of game action, while Clark went 11-for-12 at the free throw line to help ice the win late in the second half.
A back-and-fourth first half saw the Eagles and Pacers trading baskets for the first 20 minutes of the game. USC Aiken's Keith Belfield tallied 18 of his 28 game points in the first half, primarily keeping the Pacers afloat during the half of action. The red-shirt senior was four of nine from beyond the three-point mark and shot 50 percent from the field in that time period.
Williams scored the last six Carson-Newman points of the first half, as the Eagles took a 38-35 lead into the break. Aside from Clark and Williams, the remaining Eagle starters only scored a combined 12 points in the first half, but were still able to go into the halftime break shooting 50 percent as a team.
Clark would put the Eagles back on the scoreboard first in the second half after scoring on a jumper from the foul line, but Aiken would follow with a 7-0 run in the next three minutes to take back the lead. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Clark would hit four consecutive free throws off a personal and technical foul of Arbry Butler, to regain the lead at 45-44 with just over 15 minutes left in the ball game.
"Sawyer [Williams] came out today after missing the last game and really dominated the low post offensively. He also did a good job of jamming up the paint in the middle of our zone," Benson said. "Charles [Clark] is showing an incredible level of consistency. He is scoring the ball in a very efficient manner."
Carson-Newman would never look back and kept the lead for the remainder of the contest. Though the Eagles only had one double-digit lead the entire game, Carson-Newman was in control throughout and benefited from having all three of its post players on the court at the same time for only the second time this season.
Foul troubles haunted the Pacers throughout the day as Aiken picked up its seventh foul just nine minutes into the first half, putting the Eagles in the bonus for over half of the period. The second half told the same story as Aiken had two players foul out and two others play with four fouls for valuable minutes. Carson-Newman took advantage, shooting 79 percent from the line on the day.
USC Aiken came into the day sporting a two-headed monster in Belfield and Jevon Patton and the two did not disappoint. The duo accounted or a combined 52 points and eight three-pointers. The pair also shot 12-17 at the free throw line, picking up the slack from the team's 70 percent in the game.
One thing Benson was looking for his team to improve on in the contest was to not turn the ball over. Carson-Newman, who averages 17.3 turnovers a game this season, only did so 11 times in the game. The Eagles shot nearly 55 percent from the field, while holding the Pacers to 38 percent on the day.
"I am proud of our players and the poise and unity they showed today," Benson said.
Senior Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished the game with 14 points, putting him only six away from career point 1,000. Brooks would be only the 22nd Eagle all-time to accomplish the feat and has a decent chance of passing the milestone in the coming games.
Carson-Newman will be back in action Tuesday, Nov. 24th for its second-straight road contest and its first South Atlantic Conference game of the year, as the team travels to Lincoln-Memorial for an 8 p.m. tip off.
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