VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Ren Dyer Interview
VIDEO: Bryant Thomas Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The triumvirate of Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.), John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) and Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) combined for 62 points and guided Carson-Newman (8-2, 3-0 South Atlantic Conference) to a scorching second half en route to an 82-70 come-from-behind win over Mars Hill (2-6, 0-3 SAC) Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
Carson-Newman shot 65.5 percent after halftime, including a 16-of-19 mark inside the three-point arc to erase a five-point halftime deficit and turn it into a fifth consecutive double-digit win over the Lions.
With 16:03 left in the second half, Mars Hill (2-6, 0-3 South Atlantic Conference) led 42-37 after Rajuan Conner dunked on top of Carson-Newman sophomore forward Ren Dyer.
As the Mars Hill bench tapped its collective head in celebration, steam began to pour out of Dyer's ears and the Weaverville, N.C.-native's skin began to turn green.
Dyer attacked the basket the very next play before throwing down three massive dunks in the second half as the Eagles went on a 14-2 run to take a double-digit lead with 6:20 to play following Dyer's second rim-rattler.
"I like playing physical and I got my motor running hot," Dyer said. "I didn't like getting dunked on, I did not like getting dunked on and had to do something about it."
We implore you, don't make Ren angry.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) December 15, 2022
You won't like him when he's angry. @Rendyer2000 x @CN_Hoops x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/b0ZhAFfx99
While Dyer had the highlights and a 12th career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Thomas and Zhao turned in hyper efficient nights.
Thomas put up player of the week numbers. He was 11-of-17 from the field for 27 points, one off his career high, and added in 11 boards for his ninth career double-double. He matched his own school record for the fourth time in his career with a six-block day. He also added in three steals.
"It was elite on multiple levels," head coach Chuck Benson said. "He was so efficient from the field and from the line. His presence was immeasurable. I love seeing what's happening with him. I know good things happen for us when he gets touches. It's a good blend when you have a guy like that who is capable of some serious things at both ends of the floor."
Thomas was especially effective after halftime when he had 17 of his points, four of his blocks and all three of his steals.
"We knew that they would try to drive it," Thomas said. "We wanted to contain them and keep them in front. It led to some stuff. Offensively, I just got to my spots and they kept feeding me. It's a credit to my teammates for their faith in me."
Zhao was the final component in the mixture, pouring in a career-high 21 points. He was 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-10 from three.
He had 14 after halftime and was responsible for a 6-0 run by himself in the second half that gave C-N its biggest lead of the day at 12 points.
"The jig is up because people know what he does and he still finds big shots," Benson said. "He's tough to defend cause he can shoot the three, but can also get downhill to the rim. It was a nice night for him. I loved what he brought to the table tonight."
Zhao, Dyer and Thomas combined for 42 points after halftime. They accounted for 82 percent of the Eagles scoring after halftime.
The Eagles threw down a season-high five dunks in the win. Dyer accounted for three, while Tyler Bowens (Greenville, S.C.) had the other two.
Just �� at @bsmoothxx's line
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) December 15, 2022
2️⃣7️⃣pts, 1️⃣1️⃣reb, a school-record tying 6️⃣ blocks, AND 4️⃣ steals @CN_Hoops outrebound their fifth foe by double-digits and rally when trailing at the half for the first time this season. pic.twitter.com/FhK0opUZih
"You could tell our guys were determined to get to the paint and get to the rim," Benson said. "Ren went above people to flush it down. It was a nice mix from that Hulk-like attack, Zhao's catch threes and BT's Olajuwon-esque attack that really formed a nice one, two, three punch for us."
Carson-Newman only shot 35.1 percent from the field in the first half and turned it over nine times in the opening stanza. However, C-N responded by outscoring MHU in points off turnovers 13-7 after halftime while shooting 65.5 percent from the field.
"The big problem was we turned the ball over way to much in the first half," Benson said. "We go good shots, they just didn't fall. We stayed the course and we were ok when we cut turnovers down. Our defense got stingy and we had some really good north-south attack to help us to a win."
Carson-Newman limited MHU to 38.2 percent shooting after halftime. It marked the first time this season the Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to win.
The Eagles smashed the glass, outrebounding the Lions 43-30 to register the sixth double-digit rebounding margin of the season.
���� @JonathanZhao22 is a certified sniper!!!
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) December 15, 2022
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C-N wraps up the pre-Christmas SAC schedule Saturday at Emory & Henry. Tip with the Wasps is set for 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.
