VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (2-4, 2-4 South Atlantic Conference) will look to avoid any letdown from a one-point loss to No. 15 Queens when a Lenoir-Rhyne (4-1, 4-1 SAC) group that sits just outside the NABC Top 25 pays a visit to Holt Fieldhouse at 4 p.m. Saturday.
"We told our players and our staff that we have to live in the moment," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "The minute the game with Queens ended, that moment ended. We have to be forward thinking and all of our time and attention since that game ended has gone to Lenoir-Rhyne. I think our guys have followed suit controlling what they can control in the moment."
The Eagles and Bears split last season's series. Lenoir-Rhyne overcame a 12-point deficit to down Carson-Newman in Hickory 85-80, while the Eagles rallied from a nine-point deficit with eight minutes to play before EJ Bush gave C-N the win with a last second tip in.
That contest with L-R in Holt represents the Eagles last home win. Carson-Newman has dropped two decisions to Newberry and Queens since that contest. The Eagles are looking to snap a four-game home losing streak. This is the first time in the Chuck Benson era Carson-Newman has lost four straight home games.
The last time it happened was the 2009-10 season. The Eagles dropped four straight from Jan. 27 - Feb. 17 (Catawba, Mars Hill, Tusculum and Brevard) before breaking the streak with a 78-75 win over Lincoln Memorial.
Carson-Newman's last five-game home losing streak came during 2007 when the Eagles dropped contests to Lincoln Memorial, Mars Hill, Tusculum, Presbyterian and Newberry from Jan. 3, 2007 - Jan. 31, 2007 before breaking the streak on Feb. 10, 2007 with an 82-80 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. Carson-Newman hasn't lost six straight games at home this century.
Bears guard Mason Hawks was nearly indefensible and unstoppable last season against Carson-Newman. He was 10-for-16 from long range in a season split with the Eagles. In the Eagles' 85-80 loss in Hickory, Hawks led all scorers with 25. He was 7-for-8 from long distance, making the first seven threes he took. He went 3-for-8 from deep in the Eagles' 70-69 buzzer-beating win in Holt.
Darius Simmons is the league's fifth-leading scorer averaging 19.8 points per game. Fresh off scoring his 1,000th career point Wednesday against UVa Wise, Simmons has produced double-digit efforts in all five of the Bears games. He has a trio of 20-point efforts, including two straight.
"This is what we need – to face teams like this," Benson said. "We know our season could end due to CoVID related issues at any moment. We want to maximize the opportunities."
Simmons is the only player in the conference who can boast of a 50/50/85 slash line. Simmons shoots 53 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three and 89 percent from the charity stripe.
The Bears' RJ Gunn needs 13 points to join Simmons as a member of L-R's 1,000-point club.
"Both are 1,000-point scoring-caliber players," Benson said. "Simmons is more your traditional perimeter player while Gunn is a stretch big. Both have the ability to knock down shots from distance while also driving it. It's tough to keep them in front because they are such willing passers."
Shot-blocking hasn't been something that Carson-Newman has been known for in the last decade, typically ranking outside the top 100 nationally for the category. However, that's not true this year. The Eagles' 3.8 blocks per game leads the SAC and is 17th nationally.
Meanwhile, Bryant Thomas and his 1.83 blocks per game rank tops in the league and 11th nationally. If the season were to end today, it'd rank as the second best shot-blocking season in program history, while Thomas' 1.83 blocks per game would be second all-time.
Carson-Newman has the league's top scoring defense, allowing 69.8 points per game. The Eagles have the third stingiest field goal defense, giving up 41.4 percent shooting from the field.
Lenoir-Rhyne has the league's third-highest scoring offense (83.4 ppg) and its third most efficient averaging 48.3 percent from the field. The Bears are fourth in threes made per game with 9.2. Carson-Newman has given up double-digit triples to three straight opponents.
Against Queens, Ren Dyer (18) and Tyler Bowens (12) combined for 30 points. It's just the fourth time in the last 10 years that a freshman duo has combined for 30 points where both have scored in double-figures. Charles Clark (22) and Mason Bates (11) combined for 33 on Jan 24, 2015 in a 101-92 overtime win at Newberry.
"You look at who is playing for each program," Benson said. "The weight of what they are doing is being carried by experienced seniors who have proven that they can do it. They have learned what it takes to compete at this level in this conference. You look at us, I like what our veteran guys are doing. But I also like the calculated decisions we are making to play our young guys substantial minutes."
Kevin Leatherwood and Ish Sanders did it twice in 2011. Against Brevard on Feb. 2, Leatherwood went for 22 and Sanders provided 18 to combine for 40. Then, two weeks later, Sanders set the school's scoring record with 51 while Leatherwood added in 11 to finish with 62 for the pairing.
Tipoff between Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne is set for 4 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts 15 minutes prior to game time with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on The Mountain 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
