VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Kamil Chapman Interview
VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (2-2) jumped out of the gates on a 12-3 run and never looked back in a 103-70 rout of Tennessee Wesleyan (2-3) Monday night inside Holt Fieldhouse.
The 33-point margin of victory is the biggest for C-N in the 88-game history of the series between the old VSAC rivals. It marked the third time in four games this season that Carson-Newman has crested the century mark,
The contest marked the third game that Carson-Newman has hit triple digits this season. It's the first time in program history he Eagles have had three 100-point scoring efforts in their first four games.
C-N singed the nets to the tune of 54.4 percent shooting, including a 61.8 percent effort in the first half. Meanwhile, the Eagles clamped down on the Bulldogs. TWU shot 27.9 percent from the field in the opening half as C-N built a 54-33 halftime lead.
"We've made a big deal to them about having poise and handling prosperity and adversity," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "I felt like we didn't handle that in our first home game and challenged them to do that tonight. I believe they responded."
The Eagles dropped the hammer early in bounding out to a 12-3 lead in the game's first three minutes. Luke Brenegan (Brentwood, Tenn.) opened the scoring five seconds in with a three. Tripp Davis (Nolensville, Tenn.) capped the flourish three minutes into the game with a pair of fast break layups.
Tennessee Wesleyan hung around early thanks to offensive rebounding. The Bulldogs had 12 first half offensive boards to counteract their 27.9 percent shooting in the first half. TWU had a 12-2 advantage in second chance points in the game's first 15 minutes.
However, C-N crashed the glass from the eight minute mark on in the first half and surged to a 20-point lead as a result.
"Technically, we weren't doing the job of finding people and boxing out, we were being lackadaisical," Benson said. "Our guys did a better job in the second half of limiting their seconds. All in all they did a nice job of responding on the boards."
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) November 19, 2019
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The Bulldogs cut C-N's lead to seven, 28-21 on a Dominique Oggs layin with 7:30 to play in the first half. However, C-N countered by scoring the next 12 over a two minute span to stretch the advantage to 19, 40-21 with 5:07 to play in the first half.
Reece Anderson (Douglasville, Ga.) ignited the run with a fast break bucket before Davis and Kamil Chapman (Charlotte, N.C.) drilled a pair of triples to get C-N its biggest lead of the game.
Carson-Newman continued to apply pressure in the second half. C-N used a pair of 8-0 runs to lead by as many 38 before settling into the 103-70 margin.
Davis led all scorers with 19 points. He was an effective 6-for-9 from the field. Additionally he stuffed his stat sheet with five boards and five assists.
"We've got some guys who can really put pressure on the rim," Benson said. "That's even from 94 feet away. We've got a couple guys who are really quick with the ball. Tripp was able to get multiple paint touches. He was versatile in how he was able to score. I'm happy he's enjoying his time here and performing the way he is."
Anderson complemented him with 19 points and seven assists. He was 8-for-10 from the field. Carson-Newman improved to 7-0 all-time when Anderson has had five or more dime drops.
Brenegan rounded out C-N's double-digit scorers with a career-high 16 points. He went 6-for-10 from the floor.
Chapman trended toward double-double territory with eight boards and eight points. The rebounds are a career high for the Longwood transfer.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) November 19, 2019
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Carson-Newman outrebounded Tennessee Wesleyan 47-36. The Eagles have had 40 or more rebounds in every game this season.
The Eagles shared the ball effectively, handing out 25 assists on 37 made baskets.
Joshua Chairs led a trio of Bulldog double-digit scorers. He had 13 points. Oggs and Billy Balogun each added in 10.
C-N faces a short turnaround before its next contest. The Eagles take on Southern Wesleyan Wednesday at 7 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins 15 minutes prior to tip with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
