VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Dima Bykov Interview
VIDEO: Camden McElhaney Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (15-9, 12-8 South Atlantic Conference) didn't make a basket over the final 4:03 and staved off a 12-0 Catawba (9-12, 8-11 SAC) run with two free throws to preserve a 68-64 win over the Indians Saturday at Holt Fieldhouse.
"I'm not going to let that ending sour a conference win on a Saturday," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Nothing's going to sour me right now even that funky little three-minute finish. Let me give Catawba credit. They made scores tough. We had a hard time attacking what we were seeing. The biggest thing there at the end, the players said it to me at the end that it felt like we were playing not to lose.
"We get stops and reward ourselves with running by getting downhill on people in the halfcourt. Hopefully we learn from this because we've never talked about playing not to lose."
With the win, Carson-Newman snaps a two-game losing streak while winning its fourth consecutive game over Catawba – the first such streak in the 71-game history of the series for the Eagles.
Carson-Newman went up 66-52 with 4:03 to play when Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) cut to the basket for an uncontested lay-in. The Davis bucket capped a 9-2 run for C-N.
However, Catawba found its offensive footing to make things interesting late. After starting 1-of-17 from three, Kris Robinson and Bernard Pelote drilled back-to-back threes to cut the lead to eight with 3:05 left. Turnovers on two of C-N's next three possessions helped Catawba cut it to two, 66-64, with 100 seconds left on a pair of Michael Hueitt free throws.
However, Carson-Newman got stops on Catawba's next two possessions, and Davis canned two free throws with three seconds left to ice the game.
"There's no question Tripp Davis is our best transition attack guy," Benson said. "We spelled him and tried to get him some rest. That can't be our response though. Our response is to get stops and to run to find easier shots in transition no matter the time nor score in the game. We don't want to deflate ourselves by slowing it down."
Transition buckets proved helpful for C-N. The Eagles outscored Catawba 17-9 in fast break points.
A career high �� boards for @DimaBykov32
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 12, 2022
Four straight dubs over Catawba for the first time in series history.
Quality Saturday for @CN_Hoops pic.twitter.com/PbDxVZ1dpV
Davis led all scorers with 21 points – his third 20-point game of the season and the 13th of his career. He was efficient, knocking down 7-of-10 shots while snagging six boards and dishing out six assists.
"He took two threes, the rest were rim-attack twos," Benson said. "He's at his best when he gets going in transition. Our first shot defense was really good today. We need to pay that back by getting him up and down."
Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) added in 11 points. Dima Bykov (Moscow, Russia) matched his career high with eight rebounds while adding in a season-high seven points.
"I liked what I saw out of Dima today," Benson said. "We made some changes in the lineup to try to generate some actions on both ends. I'm happy for him because he's a crowd favorite. Seven points and eight boards, he was impactful tonight."
Pelote produced a double-double to lead Catawba with 20 points and 11 boards. He led the Indians in points, rebounds, assists and blocks – the first C-N foe to lead their team in four stat categories since Destin Clark did it for Wingate on Jan. 22. They are the only two players to achieve such a line against C-N in the last two years.
Peyton Gerald added in an efficient 16 on 8-of-10 shooting. He's the first C-N opponent to shoot 80 percent or better from the field with 10 shot attempts since Mason Hawks canned 9-of-10 shots for Lenoir-Rhyne in a Bear win on Jan. 6, 2020.
Carson-Newman held Catawba to 38 percent shooting, a second straight foe that Carson-Newman has kept below 40 percent. The Eagles shot 40.4 percent from the field, but 50 percent after halftime.
The Eagles had a 43-36 edge on the glass.
Carson-Newman hits the road Wednesday for a 7:30 tip at Mars Hill. 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.
