VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Richard Henderson Interview
VIDEO: Bryant Thomas Interview
VIDEO: Reece Anderson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - The first 14 minutes of Carson-Newman's Saturday tilt with Coker weren't pretty.
The Eagles found themselves down 12, 31-19 with 6:07 to play after a 15-4 Cobra run. The Eagles had turned the ball over nine times in that opening span leading to an 8-0 edge in points off turnovers for the Cobras.
However, Carson-Newman found its footing and dropped the hammer in hurry. Carson-Newman (5-5, 2-2 SAC) closed the first half on a 25-4 run en route to a 100-70 beat down of the Cobras (2-6, 1-3 SAC) Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
After starting 7-of-21 from the field, Carson-Newman would make 15 of its next 17 shots to spark the surge that swelled C-N's bulge to double digits five minutes into the second half.
"We challenged our guys pretty aggressively in the moment to respond to adversity," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We took our minds off offense and put it into controllable defense. We tried to turn them over and force action, we really did that. Tripp sparked it and once it started rolling, it really went."
Carson-Newman forced turnovers on three straight possessions to ignite the flourish. In a span of 48 seconds, the Eagles had cut Coker's lead to five, 33-28 after a pair of fast break buckets by Reece Anderson (Douglasville, Ga.).
"Reece did an immaculate job of setting the tone with the attack," Benson said. "We had guys like Richard, Jaylin attacking the rim and being aggressive attacking the basket."
The Eagles grabbed the lead for good with a pair of Kamil Chapman (Charlotte, N.C.) free throws with 2:17 to play in the first half. C-N went into the locker room up 48-43 before an unrelenting second half effort carried the Eagles to a 100-70 win.
"We were aggressive," Anderson said. "The key for us was the defensive end. We got stops and were able to sprint the floor hard and attacked the rim. If we didn't have it, we shared it."
Back-to-back threes from Jaylan McGill out of the break sparked an 11-2 surge that stretched C-N's advantage to double digits, 59-45 four minutes into the second half. The Eagles stretched the lead to 23, 88-65 with 7:17 to play with a 15-2 run in two minutes. EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) scored the first six of the run before Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) capped it with a reverse layup and a short-corner jumper.
The Eagles kept the foot on the accelerator all the way to the finish, capping the game with a 10-0 run with the reserves in. Kaleb Wallace (Atlanta, Ga.) added the exclamation point to set the final margin at 100-70 by shaking a defender with a crossover and then slamming home a right-handed jam over Ryan Carfley.
Dear ��,
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) December 15, 2019
All we want for Christmas is for @1KWallace_ to put someone else on a poster and make #SCtop10
Signed,@CNathletics
CC @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/7HMvGBNkAX
"In that last media timeout, I told our guys that we were going to win the game, but that this final four minutes was about us doing what we could do to control our controllables," Benson said. "Before I could finish, Richard Henderson, who's usually a pretty quiet and mild-mannered guy, grabbed the mic and spoke up. He said that it wasn't about the win or the loss, it's about the performance. It really got me fired up. He was emphatic about it and took that courageous step to be a vocal leader."
Six players finished in double figures for a third time this year. Anderson, Henderson and Thomas all turned in career or season-best performances.
"Dima (Bykov) has come into his own, but we'd been without him for the past couple of games due to injury," Benson said. "You could tell Richard and Bryant were both very comfortable and very aggressive. The numbers don't lie. They were effective and I'm so happy for them. We want them to continue to evolve and add value."
Anderson led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The scoring output is the third time in his career Anderson has topped 20 points. He matched his career high from his junior season at Mars Hill. Anderson stuffed the stat sheet with six boards and seven assists.
Thomas more than doubled his previous career night with a 17-point, nine-rebound effort. He flexed his range, going 3-for-6 from deep.
Finally, Henderson came within two of his career best for scoring with a 14-point night to reset his season high. The Austin Peay transfer also added in seven boards. He was efficient, going 6-for-8 from the floor.
"It starts in practice," Henderson said. "Coach Benson gave great advice on things I can improve on. He talked to me about my game and I was able to take everything into consideration and was able to take it to the game today."
Jaylan McGill (Charlotte, N.C.), Bush and Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) rounded out the Eagles double-digit scorers. McGill had 12 points, including 10 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Bush played through foul trouble to get to 11 in 14 minutes, while Davis added in 10, while impacting the game in other ways. He handed out four assists and swiped four steals, a new career high.
Carson-Newman was hyper efficient after its 7-for-21 start. The Eagles finished 30-for-44 from the field to close the game shooting 56.9 percent. The Eagles went 8-for-19 from long range.
C-N singed the nets after halftime, shooting 20-for-32 (62.5 percent). Meanwhile, the Eagles put the clamps down defensively on Coker. The Cobras were 10-for-35 (28.6 percent) after halftime.
With 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists, senior guard @reeceand55 spoke postgame on leading the way for @CN_Hoops in a conference victory against Coker.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) December 15, 2019
��https://t.co/JGTrWP2L1J
"When the game pressure mounted like it did, our scoring made it more difficult for them to score," Benson said. "Our guys were clean in the scout follow through in the second half. Our scoring intensified the defensive pressure and made it more complex for them to score."
Royce Hunter led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Cobras with 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Noel Pinnock added in 11, while KJ Harris and Williams Onyeodi had 10 apiece.
As has been typical, the Eagles owned the glass with a 40-31 rebounding advantage. Carson-Newman handed out 20 or more assists for a fourth time this season, making 24 dime drops on 37 made shots.
C-N won the turnover battle by six, its largest margin this year, and outscore Coker in points off turnovers 25-13.
The 100 points are the most that Coker had allowed all year. The Cobras came into the contest with the league's fourth-best scoring defense.
Carson-Newman wraps up 2019 at home Wednesday against Mars Hill. Tipoff with the Lions is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins 15 minutes prior to gametime with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
That's a de-fanging. @22Richard33, Bryant Thomas and @reeceand55 all post season highs as @CN_Hoops stomps Coker 1⃣0⃣0⃣-7⃣0⃣ pic.twitter.com/AkLRe4IRt3
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) December 15, 2019
