VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Jack Browder Interview
VIDEO: Ben Beeker Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Leading by one at the break, Carson-Newman (11-3, 4-2 South Atlantic Conference) made a pit stop at halftime to pick up a can of insect killer.
C-N proceeded to bolt out to its highest-scoring and hottest-shooting half of basketball in six years over the final 20 minutes en route to a 105-77 win over Emory & Henry (4-11, 1-6 SAC) Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
"Let me give a lot of credit to the players," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "They had been addressing some specific offensive adjustments when I got down to the locker room at halftime. I'm no idiot. I know they are smart basketball players. We implemented their ideas and I thought it was highly beneficial."
Carson-Newman singed the nets in the second half, shooting 72.7 percent (24-of-33) from the field and 58.7 (7-of-12) from three while dropping 67 after the break. It's the highest shooting percentage and the most points scored in a half since the Eagles shot 71 percent and scored 67 points in the first half of the 2018 season against Lees-McRae.
E&H grabbed a one-point lead, 46-45, with 16:37 to go in the game after a pair of Jake Moynihan free throws. Then, C-N dropped the hammer. Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) and Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) canned successive triples to highlight a 16-3 run for C-N that gave the Eagles a double-digit lead by the under-12 media timeout that it wouldn't surrender. Carson-Newman outscored the Wasps 37-10 in the 10 minutes following E&H snagging its last lead.
Most of the spurt came in transition. Carson-Newman outscored E&H 21-0 on the fast break. Of the Wasps 19 misses from the field in the second half, only three resulted in offensive boards. A 21-9 second-half rebounding margin enabled the Eagles to get out in transition.
"E&H big-boyed us on the glass in the first half," Benson said. "We were able to flip that in the second half. The work on the defensive glass ended up generating a lot of transition opportunities for us."
In a flip of the script, Carson-Newman's scoring came more from rim attacks. C-N started sluggishly, making just 4-of-12 layups through the first 12 minutes of the game. However, Carson-Newman only missed two the rest of the way en route to a 58-32 advantage in the paint.
The transition-based scoring led to tremendous balance for C-N. For the first time in program history, Carson-Newman had four players finish with at least 20 points.
Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Ben Beeker (Hendersonville, N.C.) led all scorers with 22 apiece. Hubbard followed with 21, while Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) added in 20.
"We talked so much about defense and rebounding," Benson said. "I didn't have a clue we had four with 20. I'm glad it did, but I got lost in the other things we were focusing on tonight. Other than the halftime adjustments, there really wasn't a lot of talk about offense."
Browder turned in his fifth, 20-point night of the year and the second of his career against E&H. He was just 8-of-18 from the field and 1-of-5 from three but went 5-of-6 at the stripe. He also added in a team-best eight boards.
"Trey was amazing with eight assists against one turnover," Browder said. "It's crazy that four guys scored 20. I joked going into the locker room with John and Nick asking them who scored 20. I didn't know. I think we are just playing confidently right now. Confidence and trust brews good offense."
Meanwhile, Beeker reset his career high with his first career 20-point night. He also added in six rebounds and a career-best five assists. He only missed one shot on nine attempts and went 6-of-7 at the charity stripe.
"We are an unselfish team," Beeker said. "We are under the belief that if a guy is open, get him the ball. Luckily, we have a ton of offensive talent who is going to put it in if they get the ball."
Hubbard connected on 7-of-14 shots and had eight assists against one turnover. He has 18 assists against four turnovers in his last two games. Meanwhile, Brenegan returned to normal stratospheric levels after paying a visit to the Ort Cloud against Newberry when he dropped 64. Brenegan turned in the sixth, 20-point game of his junior season and his eighth with at least four threes made. Brenegan went 4-of-8 from downtown and 8-of-13 from the field. He dished out six assists for the third time this season.
"Nick is beginning to serve in the same capacity as the gravitational field of the earth does in our halfcourt offense," Benson said. "He's bringing multiple defenders in his direction which is opening up opportunities for others. He's more than willing to share the ball. There's already a ton of confidence and trust in our players, but Nick, with what he has done in the last month, has taken so much attention. Yet, his teammates are still finding him opportunities."
John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) rounded out C-N's double-digit scorers with 13. He was an efficient 5-of-6 from the field.
Carson-Newman finished the game shooting 58.5 percent from the field, marking a sixth time this season C-N has been on the plus side of 55 percent. The Eagles crested triple digits for a sixth time in eight home games and a seventh time overall. Carson-Newman hasn't scored 100 points this many times in a season since doing so eight times in 2017-18. It registered as the 201st, 100-point night all-time.
C-N outrebounded the SAC's second-best rebounding team by 14, 38-14. Even while shooting 58.5 percent from the field, Carson-Newman outscored the Wasps 13-11 in second chance points.
E&H shot 47.5 percent from the field and 6-of-18 from deep. The Wasps coughed it up 13 times, leading to a 20-8 edge in points of turnovers for C-N.
"We're at the halfway point of the regular season," Benson said. "I know in my heart, that we have to make sure we are defending and rebounding night in, night out. I thought the second half we did that at a better level. They got 40 points, but their shot types were tough. They had to work to get them."
Cade Looney paced E&H with 14. Jalen Leftwich and Gabe Brown each had 13 a piece, while Keishawn Hampton rounded out E&H's four double-digit scorers with 11.
Carson-Newman hits the road Saturday to Shuford Gym to take on the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Tipoff 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.
