VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Nick Brenegan Interview
VIDEO: Bryant Thomas Interview
ANDERSON, S.C. – EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) poured in a combined 43 points and Carson-Newman (13-6, 10-5 South Atlantic Conference) outscored Anderson (9-10, 6-9 SAC) 41-18 after halftime en route to a 77-60 win over the Trojans Monday evening in the Abney Center.
The Eagles sweep the season series with the Trojans for a second straight year with a fourth straight win in the series.
Brenegan and Bush became the first Eagle pairing with a pair of 20-point games in the same contest for C-N since Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) had 22 and Luke Brenegan 24 at Catawba on Feb. 13, 2021.
The younger Brenegan brother reset his career high in his brother Luke's absence. The elder Brenegan brother went out with back spasms in pregame warmups. The Eagles were down two starters without Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.), who was out with an illness.
"It's ironic that we spent yesterday about our response to adversity," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "We have a team with a bunch of high character dudes who are really good at listening. Today, that adversity took the shape of no Ren Dyer, a wounded, but productive and masked Bryant Thomas.
"Then we lost Luke literally in warmupp, the guy that is literally our quarterback. However, the response was measured, calculated and it wasn't panicked. I could not say how happy I am with this performance. I'm thrilled for the lesson they learned tonight. Our guys attitudes, responses and effort deflated this place. It was about our response, and I'm beyond happy and proud for our guys tonight."
Carson-Newman faced additional adversity late in the first half. Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) picked up a second personal foul with 8:54 to play in the first half. Anderson took advantage of the big man's absence and closed the half on an 18-7 run to take a 42-36 lead into the halftime locker room.
However, with Thomas back on the floor in the second half, the tide quickly turned in Carson-Newman's favor. Thomas finished with six points, 10 boards, four blocks and three steals. The blocks and steals all came after halftime for Thomas.
"If you don't think Bryant Thomas is a bad boy, then you don't know what bad boys are," Benson said. "We don't win this game without Bryant tonight. Our defense is our identity. The first half was about adjustment to playing with the mask as a game-time decision. He looked like Jason Voorhees tonight. I could tell he was feeling it out. The second half, he made that adjustment and does what he is so good at. He was the missing ingredient from the first half to the second half."
Thomas anchored a defense that kept Anderson to just 18-point after halftime, the fewest points the Eagles have allowed in a half this season. C-N limited the Trojans to 25 percent shooting in the second half.
Carson-Newman started the second half on a 16-3 run capped by back-to-back quality post bucks from Bush to put C-N up seven, 52-45 with 12:53 left in the game. The Trojans made just one shot from the field over the first nine minutes off the second half.
"We established that inside presence in the second half," Benson said. "EJ was otherworldly in there and Tripp was able to get downhill. That opened up the perimeter. All that was happening while we were getting stops and that was the critical thing to get us some opportunities in transition."
After C-N snatched a double-digit lead with 10:04 to play, Cameron Mills and Jason Livingston knocked down back-to-back threes to get the deficit down to four, 61-57 with 8:29 to play. The Trojans wouldn't make another shot until there were two seconds left. Carson-Newman put the game to bed with a 14-0 run. Bush scored seven on the spurt.
"Defensively, we had lost the plot a bit in the fist half losing our positioning," Benson said. "We tightened that up and when Anderson tried to make those 15-foot attacks, we had hands in dribble lanes and bodies in driving lanes. We challenged action. All that helped by having BT back there."
Bush's 23 were a season high for him. He was efficient around the rim, knocking down 10-of-14 shots. He also had six boards.
Meanwhile, playing without hiss brother on the floor for the first time in his collegiate career, Nick Brenegan dropped 20 for the first time in his career.
"I really just played my game knowing I had to step up," Brenegan said. "My teammates got me open shots and I made them. Every basketball player loves to get a good road win in a good road environment and that's what this was today."
He was lights out from deep, canning 6-of-9 threes. Brenegan played turnover free in a career-best 36 minutes on the floor.
"In 36 minutes he didn't have a turnover," Benson said. "He was so efficient and played outstanding. He's a team guy and loves this game. The thing I'm most excited about for him is the performance in front of this crowd. There were a lot of people here tonight and a lot of people he knows. I'm so glad that his people got to see his performance."
Davis rounded out Carson-Newman's double-digit scorers with 12. He was 5-of-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from three. He also had three assists and two steals.
Crosby James led Anderson with 18 points. He had 12 points at the break on 4-of-8 shooting, but was limited to six points on 1-of-7 shooting in the second half. Parker Dortch was the only other double-digit scorer for the Trojans with 15.
Carson-Newman made 58.3 percent of its shots after halftime, including a 5-of-7 effort from deep.
The Eagles turned it over a season-low seven times. Meanwhile, after Anderson only turned it over once in the first half, the Eagles forced 11 turnovers after halftime. C-N had a 14-9 edge in points off turnovers.
Carson-Newman finishes up a three-game road swing Wednesday at Lincoln Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
