VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Nick Brenegan Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (8-2) closed out its first semester schedule with the greatest display of three-point shooting in school history and a 107-83 win over Tennessee Wesleyan (4-7) Tuesday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.
The Eagles buried 22 threes as a team to reset the program's single-game mark, while Nick Brenegan buried 12-of-25 threes to reset the single-game marks as an individual for both threes made and taken.
"It's just one of those days," Brenegan said. "I was feeling pretty good in warmups. Credit my teammates though. They were helping me hunt shots and encouraging me. I have an irrational sense of confidence shooting the ball right now."
The 22 made threes as a team resets the mark of 20 previously set on Jan. 21, 2009.
Meanwhile, Brenegan's 12 triples bests Ish Sanders' 12-year-old school record. Sanders hit 11 when he originally set the single-game record for points (since bested by Charles Clark) against Mars Hill on Feb. 16, 2011. Sanders and Brenegan are the only players in school history to make more than 10 in a game, and also the only two to take more than 20 threes in a game.
"It's a mouthful because Ish is one of the all-time greats to play here and in this league. He's going on a decade as a professional basketball player," Benson said. "To watch Nick have that kind of day was special. It was extra special for his brother on the staff watching him do that. If I had a genie bottle with three wishes, one of them would be for a guy like Nick Brenegan, who has set the standard for investment and hard work outside of practice, to have the day like he had today. He puts in the work, and he deserves to have this kind of moment."
Brenegan's 12 threes are also tied for the most in an NCAA Division II game this season and the second-most in SAC history. He sits even with Saint Anselm's Josh Morrissette, who buried 12 against Franklin Pierce. In league history, he matched Lenoir-Rhyne's RJ McClure, who hit 12 for the Bears in 2014 against Newberry.
The junior buried 5-of-8 threes in the first half before going 7-of-17 from deep in the second half. He started 11-of-19 from beyond the arc before missing five straight. Ultimately, a second-chance triple with 36 seconds left snapped that string of misses and set the game's final margin at 107-83.
While Brenegan's three-point shooting was elite, he also found the wherewithal to hand out a career-high seven assists.
The win for the Eagles is their seventh straight over Tennessee Wesleyan. The Eagles are 7-1 against the Bulldogs since moving to NCAA Division II and 6-0 under Chuck Benson.
"There's a long, long history in this rivalry," Benson said. "There were plenty of older folks who took great pride in this performance. One of my old professors came up to me after and told me, 'I just hate Tennessee Wesleyan.' For those fans from that time in our program's history, they certainly enjoyed today."
Brenegan led five Eagles in double-digits for a second straight game. John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) battled through an illness to add 16 points and six boards. He was 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from range. Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) added in 12, while Ben Beeker made all five of his shots to conclude with 11.
�� School record for threes made by a single player (Nick Brenegan - 12)
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) December 19, 2023
�� School record for threes made for the team - 22
�� Second most threes in a @SAC_Athletics game
Nick Brenegan was on one. @CN_Hoops crests the century mark for a fourth time in five home games. pic.twitter.com/9WF65Vh4eh
Beeker hasn't missed a shot in two consecutive games, making nine straight attempts from the field.
Rounding out C-N's double-digit scorers was Jarius Satterfield (Clarksville, Tenn.). Satterfield produced his first-career double-digit scoring effort with 11 points. In 39 career games with C-N, Satterfield had made one field goal, and only one field goal, 19 times. He burst through that with a 4-of-6 day from the field and a 3-of-5 effort from deep. He also dolled out fur assists.
"Trey (Hubbard) was too sick to go," Benson said. "But I had not one moment of reservation about having Jarius going. I'm not surprised. He works on his game. I'm happy for him that he gets to go into the Christmas break having this kind of game."
Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) provided a stat-sheet stuffing night with a season-high eight points, 11 rebounds and six assists against just one turnover.
Carson-Newman crested the century mark for a fourth time in five home games while handing out 31 assists on 39 made baskets. The 31 assists are tied for the sixth-most in school history and the second time this year the Eagles have had 30 or more assists in a game.
The elite ball movement led C-N to shoot 55.7 percent from the field. Carson-Newman was 22-of-49 (44.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The 49 attempted threes are also a school record. Carson-Newman made 17-of-21 two-point shots.
�� NEW SCHOOL RECORD ��
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) December 19, 2023
Nick Brenegan collects his 1⃣2⃣th three-pointer to reset the school record for made threes in a match❗️❗️
�� @CN_Hoops 107
�� Tennessee Wesleyan 83
�� WPFT-FM
�� https://t.co/gipZ7woHxo
�� https://t.co/hiIvfnQa8x pic.twitter.com/H03ZQCzzpe
While Carson-Newman's offense excelled, the defensive effort left something to be desired for Benson.
"Defense was nauseating," Benson said. "One word. Nauseating. But our offense seized the moment. It was difficult. Tennessee Wesleyan had not played much zone this year, so a lot of our prep was based on last year. I thought they stepped up and made shots. They killed us from the three the first half, but we did do a better job after halftime. We still did a nice job on the glass. We took so many threes, that knocked the free throw differential out of balance. We had certain goals today that we didn't meet to the degree that we would prefer. However, I'm not going to worry as much about that and be a Grinch when we can celebrate Nick's special day and some delicious Christmas cookies."
Tennessee Wesleyan made 48.3 percent of its shots from the field. The Bulldogs were 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the opening off before cooling off in the second half to finish 7-of-17 from range.
Carson-Newman dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle by double-digits for an eighth time this year. C-N outrebound TWU 39-25.
C-N broke the barn doors off the game early. C-N made 10 of its first 13 shots in the first seven minutes of the game. Of those 10 made buckets, nine were from beyond the arc. It lead to an 18-4 lead by the under 16 media timeout. C-N would not lead by any fewer than 14 after that initial 12-0 burst which featured three straight threes from Zhao, followed by one from Satterfield.
Stratton Lovvorn led TWU with 17 points. He was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep. Kobe Pride chipped in 12 points, while Ty Hurst finished with 10.
Carson-Newman breaks for Christmas before returning to the hardwood Dec. 30 against Belmont Abbey. Tipoff with the Crusders is slated 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. A video feed will be available through FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMBB.
