VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Ben Beeker Interview
MORROW, Ga. – Carson-Newman (3-1) got a three with 30 seconds to go from John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) to stave off a hot-shooting Clayton State (0-6) and cement a fifth-consecutive road win, 92-89, Wednesday afternoon at The Loch.
Clayton State made 13 straight shots from the 12:22 mark of the second half to the 6.2-second mark to make things highly challenging for the Eagles. The Lakers' torrid shooting was matched by C-N. The Eagles made 16-of-23 shots after halftime (69.6 percent) to the Lakers 20-of-29 effort (69.0 percent).
"To say I'm thankful in this Thanksgiving season would be an understatement," head coach Chuck Benson said. "When you think about the shots they were shooting in the second half, they weren't shooting layups, they were taking and making tough twos and threes. I was proud of our guys for weathering the storm. They stayed poised and united, and when it was winning time, our guys delivered."
Carson-Newman matches its longest road-winning streak since taking five consecutive to close 2021 with a SAC tournament title at Queens.
The teams were tied 15 times and swapped leads 15 times. Eight of the ties and eight of the lead chances came in the final eight minutes of the game.
Christian Chamber knocked down an and-one to give Clayton State a, 87-86 lead with 48 seconds to play.
Zhao countered on the other end popping for a three off a feed. He sank the shot and got fouled but failed to convert the four-point play.
"I knew there late that John would be sound for us," Benson said. "He has no problem knocking down shots and his teammates have confidence in him to do that. As soon as he got the ball, I knew he was gonna pull that thing. And he did. And made it."
Leading 89-87, C-N forced a turnover on the ensuing Clayton State possession before Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) and Monty Johal (Springfield, Mo.) canned free throws down the stretch to give C-N a 6-0 run and the win.
"We made a big deal about going on the road and winning. You go on the road and take care of the ball, rebound and get to the free throw line," Benson said. "I thought we did all three of those things in a respectable manner. Those free throws, I think, are the difference. Our guys trustworthiness and self-discipline to follow through with what we asked them to do was off the charts."
Carson-Newman knocked down 22-of-30 foul shots, including 3-of-4 in the final 30 seconds.
For the majority of the game, the Eagles took the ball inside and into the teeth of reigning PeachBelt Conference Player of the Week Jalen Shaw. C-N outscored Clayton State 48-40 in the paint.
"I was pleased that our guys responded to that challenge," Benson said. "We had Godzilla going against Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, some entertaining things are going to happen. Shaw is a monster, and he was getting back into it, but we have our own monsters. They performed in a way that helped us to a win today."
Center Bryant Thomas turned in his third, 20-point game of the season, with 22 on 8-of-16 shooting. He added in seven rebounds. Post running mate Ben Beeker (Hendersonville, N.C.) reset his career high with 14 points in 14 minutes on 6-of-7 shooting. Beeker also added in four boards.
C-N finished with five double-digit scorers for a second straight game. Dyer came up a rebound shy of a third straight double-double. He had 16 points and nine boards.
Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) and Johal added in 12 and 11, respectively.
Clayton State became the first team this season to outrebound, edging the Eagles on the glass 33-31.
Laker guard Christian Chambers poured in 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including a 2-of-6 mark from deep. Chambers is the first Eagle foe to score 30 on C-N since Jordan Floyd scored 34 for King on Nov. 9, 2019.
Ricardo Saams added in 20 while going 7-of-10 from the field. He made both his three-point attempts.
They are the first pair to score 20 or more on C-N since Quin Nottingham (28) and Crosby James (23) combined for 51 for Anderson on Feb. 1, 2020.
Travis Harper rounded out the Lakers double-digit scorers. He had 15, going 5-of-7 from the field.
Carson-Newman returns home Saturday to face Erskine at 4 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 3:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A paid video feed is available through FloSports at cneagles.com/flombb.
