VIDEO: Nick Brenegan Postgame interview
VIDEO: Nick's three-point barrage
AUGUSTA, Ga. – For the third time in Carson-Newman men's basketball history, an Eagle has been named National Men's Basketball Player of the Week.
The D2CIDA announced Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) as this week's recipient of the national honor Tuesday afternoon following the junior guard's record-breaking performance against Newberry.
Brenegan follows Charles Clark as recipients of the honor from Carson-Newman. Clark was honored twice in his junior All-America year in 2016-17.
Brenegan has also been named the SAC Player of the Week and the TSWA Player of the Week.
Brenegan goes back-to-back as the league's player of the week. An Eagle has won the last three weekly honors from the conference office.
The junior guard torched Newberry for 64 points on Saturday, canning 18-of-27 threes. He singlehandedly outscored Newberry in the Eagles' 103-51 win.
The 64 points reset the Carson-Newman and South Atlantic Conference single-game scoring record held by the Eagles' Charles Clark since 2017. Clark went for 54 against Coker. It marks just the fifth 60-point night in NCAA Division II since 1975 and the 15th if you include Division I. Overall, Brenegan's night is the 15th-highest scoring night in Division II history.
The bulk of Brenegan's bonkers night came from range. He broke the NCAA Division I and II records for threes made in a game with 18. However, he was stupefyingly efficient, going 18-of-27 from deep. He was 21-of-34 from the field overall and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
Brenegan had 21 points at the break before surging for a massive 43-points in the second half. The 43-point second half breaks Clarks' record for points in a half. Clark had 36 in the second half in his record-setting performance against Coker. Taking Brenegan's second half by itself, he would still have the sixth-highest single-game scoring mark. He made 12 of his 15 three-point shots in the second half. The 12 threes would have been the second-most in a single-game in school history.
Included in that stretch was a string of 10 consecutive made triples that tied NCAA Division II mark for consecutive threes made in a game.
With 21 made field goals, Brenegan also breaks Mike Ogan's 50-year-old record for shots made in a game, set in 1974 with 19 against Lincoln Memorial. His 34 shots attempted breaks WA Wright's mark of 32 on Jan, 20, 1968 against Georgia Southern.
His 21 made baskets are the most in league history, tied with Denzail Jones' (Anderson against Newberry on March 3, 2012) league mark.
For the week, Brenegan averaged 35.5 points and three rebounds.
Brenegan and the rest of the Eagles will be in action Wednesday against Emory & Henry/ Tipoff between the Eagles and Wasps is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage of the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville, Tenn.) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available through FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMbb.
