JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (14-12, 10-10 South Atlantic Conference) aims to halt its longest losing streak in half a decade when it heads up the mountain to Brevard (5-21, 4-16 SAC) Wednesday night at 8 inside Boshamer Gymnasium.
Carson-Newman has lost three consecutive games for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Eagles lost three straight twice that year. The latter occasion, the Eagles lost to Lenoir-Rhyne, Mars Hill and Newberry before defeating a top 10 LMU team. C-N had previously been handed three consecutive defeats to Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum and Newberry before triumphing over Mars Hill.
"We've tried to give our guys a much needed rest going into this game," head coach Chuck Benson said. "I think we'll be fresh and excited to play. However, we still have to control what we can control. We have to get on the road and make shots while limiting easy shots for Brevard."
Carson-Newman last lost four straight games at the end of Chuck Benson's first season as head coach. The Eagles ended the 2010-11 season with losses to Newberry, LMU and Anderson before the Railsplitters eliminated the Eagles in the first round of the SAC tournament.
Carson-Newman hasn't lost at Brevard's Boshamer Gymnasium since the 2009-10 season. The Eagles dropped a 67-65 decision to the Tornado that day. Four of the last five meetings Carson-Newman has won by at least 20 points.
Sawyer Williams (Owenton, Ky.) has been especially efficient in his career against Brevard. The junior has hit 27 of his 35 career shots against the Tornado, that's 77.1 percent shooting.
Carson-Newman has been the salve to fix many team's shooting woes this season. Of the Eagles' last 13 games, 11 have featured a team that has knocked down at least 10 threes. The two that didn't were versus Anderson. The Trojans hit eight in both games in defeat.
Teams are averaging 13.4 threes per game and shooting 42 percent from deep over the Eagles' last five games. The Tornados have hit 10 threes twice this season, in their opener inside Holt Fieldhouse in a 75-63 loss to Lander and two games ago when they went 10-for-23 in a 78-70 home win against Anderson.
Brevard knocked down 8-of-25 from deep earlier this season in an 87-60 loss to the Eagles.
Demarcus Threatt has been a steady presence for Brevard this season. The guard is third in the league in scoring with 21.1 points per game. He also ranks second in field goals made with 194. In the first meeting with C-N this season, he scored 27 points, 45 percent of Brevard's scoring output on that day.
"What's scary here lately is they're getting four or five guys in double figures," Benson said. "They've got an Alex Moe, and Miles Leathers who can step up and make you pay. We've got to make sure we're covering everyone and hope we can balance them out with our own scoring punch."
Carson-Newman continues to be led by Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). The All-America candidate leads the Eagles and the SAC in scoring with 22.0 points per game. He is the fifth leading scorer in the Southeast Region.
Tipoff between the Eagles and 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.
