VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
WINGATE, N.C. – Wingate (9-4, 5-2 South Atlantic Conference) held Carson-Newman (7-7, 3-5 SAC) to its lowest scoring effort in four years to snap a four-game losing streak to the Eagles with a 71-48 win over Carson-Newman Saturday afternoon at Cuddy Arena.
The Eagles were last held below 50 points during a Feb. 5 trip to Wingate in 2011. The Eagles lost that game 71-46.
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Eagles. Carson-Newman was shooting 58 percent from the field on its win streak, but was held to 38 percent shooting (19-for-50) on the day. That tally is the second worst shooting effort of the season for C-N and its second game of the year where it has been held to less than 40 percent from the field.
"By its actions, and actions are what define you, our team seems like when we play teams that we define as tough physical defensive teams, we perform poorly," head coach Chuck Benson said. "We're very consistent with that. Our guys knew what to expect. Their toughness and physicality leads to 17 turnovers for us and a poor shooting night.
"Our offense was abysmal tonight. Our guys, and us as coaches, need to take a long look in the mirror and figure out a way to better handle defenses like what Wingate brought to the table."
Sawyer Williams led C-N with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) each added 10 points.
Anthannee Doyle had the game high with a 17-point day for the Bulldogs. Isiah Cureton and Xavier Griffin tallied 11 and 10, respectively.
The Bulldogs trailed 6-2 early in the game before rattling off a 16-2 run to build a double-digit lead, 23-10 with 10:00 left in the first half on a pair of Mike Baez free throws. The Eagles would get not closer than seven the rest of the game.
Wingate turned 17 Carson-Newman turnovers into 17 points (outscoring the Eagles in that regard 17-8). Furthermore, the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles in second chance points 19-8.
The Eagles return home Wednesday to tangle with Brevard. Tipoff with the Tornados is set for 8 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
