VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Queens (20-6, 15-5 South Atlantic Conference) converted Carson-Newman's (9-17, 6-14 SAC) first 13 turnovers into points en route to an 83-71 win over the Eagles Saturday afternoon at Curry Arena.
The Royals outscored Carson-Newman 26-9 in points off turnovers. The Eagles had 15 turnovers, 12 of which came on deadballs versus just three steals.
"Queens has elite speed and experienced guard play," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We've expressed to our team so many times, you can't give a team like Queens the basketball because you've given them points. I don't know how many times we have to face this kind of situation to impact the cleanliness of our decisions in real time."
Queens' rebounding certainly didn't help matters either. The Royals, who were limited to 42 percent shooting, corralled 24 offensive boards and outscored Carson-Newman 27-17 in second chance points.
The Royals owned a 46-38 edge on the glass.
"Some of the rebounding goes back to the use of the zone," Benson said. "But that also goes back to some situations where guys were instructed and given directives on how to function in this defensive scheme. However, if there's a lack of followthru with that, you can be exposed. We have some guys who are big and athletic who want to rely on their size and athleticism to get a job done rather combing that size and athleticism a technical know-how to maximize that. There were times when our guys were stagnant and wouldn't leave an area to negate an offensive rebounder. Those times we did that, we got exposed."
The advantage bore out in the second half. Carson-Newman chopped a 13-point first half Queens lead down to four, 42-38 on a Richard Henderson (Maryland Heights, Mo.) and-one. However, following a pair of Van Turner triples aided by Eagle giveaways stretched the lead back to 12 in less than 90 seconds.
Carson-Newman would get within five against with 11:10 to play before Queens rallied with an 8-1 run to stretch the lead back to 12 with 9:17 to play following a Kenny Dye jumper from the middle of the lane. The lead would stay double-digits the rest of the way for the Royals.
The loss spoiled solid outings for Zailan Peeler (Charlotte, N.C.) and Henderson.
Playing in his home town, Peeler poured in 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting for a new Carson-Newman high. He was 3-for-6 from range.
"I thought he played with poise today," Benson said. "He had a determination today. He came into his home town and performed well. You're always happy for guys when they pull that off. Zailan's a sophomore who has had some adversity that he's worked through this year. Hopefully he can build on it."
Meanwhile, Henderson logged his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. He went 6-for-8 from the field.
EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) rounded out Carson-Newman's double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Van Turner led all scorers with 22 points. He was 6-for-12 from deep. Jamari Smith added in 16 points and eight boards. Jachai Taylor tallied 10.
Carson-Newman knocked down 46 percent of its shots. However, the Eagles were just 5-for-20 from deep and 16-of-30 at the charity stripe.
The loss, coupled with a win by Newberry over Lenoir-Rhyne, eliminates Carson-Newman from contention of taking a spot in the South Atlantic Conference tournament championship.
Carson-Newnan wraps up a three-game road swing at UVa-Wise Wednesday. Tipoff from the Prior Convocation Center is slated for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
