VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Tripp Davis Interview
MARS HILL, N.C. – On a night where Carson-Newman (16-9, 13-8 South Atlantic Conference) only shot 38.5 percent from the field, the Eagles canned 27-of-32 free throws and turned in 21 second chance points to make up the difference in a 78-65 win over Mars Hill (5-18, 5-15 SAC) Wednesday at Burt Stanford Arena.
"The things we made a big deal about that were game specific, the guys followed through on at a really high level," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "This ended up being a home game for us when you consider the population of Weaverville shifted to come watch Ren play. I was happy he played well and we got this win in front of all his people."
Carson-Newman converted on a season-high 27 free throws on 32 attempts, the Eagles second game this season making at least 25 freebies.
The Eagles outrebounded the Lions 43-31 and had 19 offensive boards leading to 21 second chance points, the second most in a game this season.
Tertiary to the free throws and rebounding were turnovers. Carson-Newman forced 16 of them and converted them into a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers – also the second most points off turnovers in a game for Carson-Newman this season.
"We emphasized it, and our guys followed through," Benson said. "They did it with determination and found some benefit from it."
The win is Carson-Newman's fourth straight over Mars Hill. All four wins in the streak have been by double digits. This was the first where Carson-Newman didn't shoot better than 50 percent from the field.
Carson-Newman had three separate four-minute stretches where it did not make a field goal, yet, C-N was able to keep the Lions at bay with their free-throw shooting.
"It goes back to the things that we made a big deal about." Benson said. "We told the guys at halftime the fouls would balance and we needed to make peace with that. It was a well-officiated game, but you can get frustrated when as many whistles were blown today. I thought our mindset never wavered and we stayed the course when we both committed fouls and got fouled."
The Lions are the first team that Carson-Newman has beaten this season that has shot better than 45 percent from the field against the Eagles. C-N was previously 0-2 against hot-handed teams. Mars Hill converted on 46.6 of its shots, but just seven of its 24 threes. The Lions were just 4-of-9 at the line.
Tripp Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) led all scorers with a 20-point game – his second consecutive and the 13th of his career. Davis was 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line.
"I had joked with Tripp that we were done with his Oldsmobile attack, we wanted straight Lamborghini," Benson said. "He got up and down in a hurry."
EJ Bush (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) added in an efficient 18. He made 5-of-7 shots and 8-of-9 free throws. Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) rounded out the Eagles double-digit scorers.
Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) had a performance befitting a player under consideration for the league's defensive player of the year with six boards, three blocks and three steals.
Carson-Newman used a 12-1 run late in the second half to put the game to bed. A pair of Bush turnaround J's bookended the spur that put the Eagles up 14, 71-57, with 2:57 to play.
"There's only one person who's going to play chess and it's me," Benson said. "If I don't say slow down, keep going 0-60 until the final horn. That's what they did and it helped us get separation late."
Mars Hill got 19 points out of Isaiah Jones and 13 apiece from Kadyn Dawkins and Isayah Johnson. Johnson also had a double-double with 10 boards.
Carson-Newman celebrates senior day Saturday against Limestone. Tipoff with the Saints is set for 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
