VIDEO: Zack Pangallo buzzer-beating, game-winning three
VIDEO: Zack Pangallo Interview
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Charles Clark Interview
NEWBERRY, S.C. – Carson-Newman (11-7, 7-5 South Atlantic Conference) rallied from a 21-point deficit and Zack Pangallo (Newport, Ky.) punched in a 27-foot three from the top of the key as time expired to give the Eagles a 91-89 win over Newberry (11-7, 6-6 SAC) Sunday afternoon at Eleazer Arena.
"I'm speechless," head coach Chuck Benson said. "I don't know what to say other than that I am so proud of our guys. That was as gutsy a performance as I have been fortunate to witness in my 25 years as a coach. The credit goes 100 percent to our players. When you play Newberry, you know it's going to be an absolute war because they never stop, but our kids clawed it out and showed unbelievable poise, particularly down the stretch."
With nine seconds left, Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) drained a pair of free throws to put Carson-Newman up 88-87.
Newberry quickly responded as Gerald Evans drove to the free throw line and shoveled a pass down to the left block to Xavier Holmes. With 3.6 seconds left, Holmes rose up and jammed down a dunk that brought the Eleazer Arena crowd to a roar.
Seconds later, it would be deathly silent.
Pangallo took the inbounds pass and darted straight up the middle of the floor until he ran into James Stepp and Brandon Taylor 27 feet away from the basket. Moments before the clock hit triple zeros, Pangallo pulled up and banked in a straight-on three to complete the comeback and split the season series with the Wolves.
The Eagles erupted onto the floor in celebration as the Eleazer Arena crowd stood in stunned silence.
"After he (Holmes) dunked the ball, I was just trying to get the ball as quick as I could and get down the floor as quick as I could," Pangallo said. "I dribbled up as fast as I could and sent one up, and it went in."
The three capped a historic comeback for the Eagles. Carson-Newman overcame a 21-point deficit and a 13-point deficit with seven minutes to play in the second half. The 21-point comeback is the largest of the Chuck Benson era.
The previous high water mark for largest comeback for a Benson-coached team came in the Eagles' opener for the 2012-13 season. C-N was down 17 at Lees-McRae before rallying for a 69-63 win, the 1,000th victory in program history.
It matches the largest comeback for Carson-Newman since the turn of the century and just the second comeback of 20 points or more by the Eagles.
On February 6, 2006, Carson-Newman trailed by 21 at North Greenville early in the second half before rallying to win 69-68. Kente Hart hit a layup with 10 seconds left in the game to secure the win.
Pangallo's buzzer-beating three for the win is the first for the program since Ish Sanders broke a 58-58 tie with a three from the left wing to down the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears 61-58 as time expired on Feb. 9, 2013.
Newberry had the hot hand to begin the game. The Wolves connected on eight of their first 11 shots and used a 13-3 run to build a double-digit lead with 13:44 left on the first half on a Ronnell Crocket baseline jumper.
A barrage of seven first half threes from the Wolves, coupled with 15 first half turnovers for the Eagles gave the Wolves their largest lead of the day at 21 with seven minutes to play in the first half on a Mitch Riggs jumper.
Carson-Newman finally settled things down and a brief 6-0 run for the Eagles had cut Newberry's lead to 13, 46-33 by halftime thanks to Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom) and his fourth career three with time winding down in the opening stanza.
The lead hovered around 13 for much of the second half. With 7:51 left in the frame, the Wolves still had a 13-point lead in hand following a DJ Copeland jumper.
However, that's when Carson-Newman began to make its move. Carson-Newman didn't miss a shot in 12 straight attempts and rattled off a 12-0 run, capped with a Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) steal and one-handed tomahawk slam with 4:13 left to bring the Eagles within one, 75-74.
"We took better care of the ball in the second half," Benson said. "We played at their tempo and speed and found a better rhythm the final five or six minutes of the first half. We kept it at that rhythm in the second, which was to our liking. They also did a good job of attacking north, south. Our defense also created some offense as well, which is really difficult to do with how present their guards are."
C-N would grab the lead for the first time since an opening 2-0 advantage on a similar play a minute later. Clark anticipated a pass at the top of the key, picked it off and rambled 60 feet the other direction for a two-handed slam and a one-point lead. The teams swapped the lead nine times with three ties in the contest's final three minutes before the Eagles got out of dodge with a win thanks to Pangallo's heroics.
The second half belonged to Clark. The sophomore had eight at the break before erupting for 22, including 11 in the game's final 6:39.
"Charles is such a fighter, such a competitor," Benson said. "He's just a sophomore, but he was the catalyst and the inspiration for what transpired in the second half."
Clark hit the 30-point mark for the first time this season, the second time all-time against Newberry and the third time in his career. Clark finished 9-of-19 from the floor with eight boards, five assists and four steals.
"I was just trying to get everyone involved," Clark said. "When things weren't going right and I couldn't get someone open, I just tried to score. We had some good plays, but nothing can top what Zack did."
Sawyer Williams added 29 points and eight rebounds. He hit 12 of his 14 shots. Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom) was the Eagles other double-digit scorer. He had 10.
Five players finished in double-figure scoring for the Wolves led by 18 apiece from Xavier Holmes and Gerald Evans.
Newberry took 20 more shots than Carson-Newman, but made four fewer than the Eagles. C-N shot 58.9 percent for the game (33-for-56), including 67.7 percent shooting in the second half (21-for-31). Carson-Newman only turned it over eight times after halftime.
The Eagles forced 17 Newberry turnovers and turned them into 22 points, compared to 31 points off turnovers for the Wolves.
C-N potentially could have had the game in hand sooner, but struggled from the stripe for a second consecutive game. The Eagles went 20-for-37 at the line.
Carson-Newman is back at home Wednesday night against Lincoln Memorial. Tipoff with the nationally ranked Railsplitters is set for 8 p.m. with pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 7:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
