VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A 9-2 second half run by top-seeded Lincoln Memorial (24-7) was enough to propel the Railsplitters into the lead and past fourth-seeded Carson-Newman (22-8) Thursday evening at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center.
The Railsplitters prevailed 70-65 to advance to the championship game of the South Atlantic Conference tournament where they will face Catawba Friday at 7 p.m. C-N concludes its season with 22 wins, the second-most under head coach Chuck Benson and the third-most since moving to NCAA Division II.
"I'll say the obvious, credit to Lincoln Memorial," Benson said. "I thought we threw some pretty aggressive punches their way, but there was just a stretch there where they just melted down our seven-point lead. We fired back as well, but when they made that run, they went ahead and extended that by getting stops. They are a very good team. There's a reason why they are the number one seed in this tournament."
C-N had taken the first two-possession lead of the game with a little more than 14 minutes to play in the second half. John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) connected on back-to-back layups, one of which was an and-one, to cap a 7-2 run that put the Eagles ahead 43-36.
However, Matthew Sells would respond for LMU. He drilled threes on three straight possessions in 57 seconds to erase the Eagles' advantage and tie the game at 45. LMU would take the lead for good four minutes later with a 7-0 run capped by a Luke Bartemes three. It put the Railsplitters ahead 56-49 with 8:33 to go. In that stretch, C-N made one of nine shots from the field.
"They made it tough," Benson said. "Having said that, I still feel like we got some opportunities today. In a game like this, you really can't have dry spells. That was frustrating for our guys. There's a lot of emotion in that locker room right now. Our guys should have nothing they should be ashamed of today. I'm proud of this team."
C-N used a 7-0 run to get within one with two minutes to play after a Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) hook shot. However, C-N would misfire on its next two shot attempts and turn it over on its final possession.
The Eagles were outrebounded for just the second time this season. LMU enjoyed a 43-39 advantage on the glass.
C-N shot 36.9 percent from the field and were 6-of-20 from three. The Eagles were 0-for-3 from deep in the second half. Meanwhile, Lincoln Memorial shot 42.6 percent from the field. The Railsplitters were 6-of-19 from three (31.6 percent). Four of those six makes came in that short stretch in the second half.
Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) paced C-N with 22 points. He was 8-of-16 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. C-N lost its first game this season when Hubbard had at least five assists. The Eagles were 14-0 previously.
Browder followed with 15 points. He was 5-of-17 from the field. Zhao rounded out C-N's double-digit scorers with 10.
SAC Freshman of the Year Wes Enis led LMU with 22. He was 8-of-18 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. Osmar Garcia-Aroujo produced his second double-digit scoring performance of the tournament with 15. Sells had 11, nine of which came in that 57-second second-half window.
Both teams only turned the ball over seven times. With oodles of isolation action, there were only a combined 15 assists in the game (eight for C-N, seven for LMU).
The loss closes out the careers of Ben Beeker (Hendersonville, N.C.), Caleb Bridgewater (Charlotte, N.C.) and Jarius Satterfield (Clarksville, Tenn.).
"All of them (seniors) have done a lot in the name of our program," Benson said. "Through everything, they've always maintained a level head. No matter what the role was, they always looked for ways to add value. It's that kind of character and persona that will allow them to be elite in whatever they pursue beyond this."
Carson-Newman wraps up the best offensive season in the history of the program. The Eagles matched the 1970-71 team for the most 100-point contests in program history with 12. C-N set the program records for highest scoring average (91.2), threes made (325), three-point efficiency (43.0) and defensive rebounds per game (29.9).
Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) reset the program record for threes made in a season with 108 while Zhao set the program record for three-point percentage at 52.5 percent – a figure that ranks four all-time in the league. Zhao finishes the year with 84 threes made tied for the sixth-most in a single season in school history. Browder joined Shaun Jones as the only players since 1985 with more than 240 rebounds in a season.
"We choose to celebrate the successes," Benson said. "There were plenty of them, both as a team collectively and on an individual basis. I think we will only build on that and continue to get better going into the next season."
For offseason updates on Carson-Newman men's basketball, follow @CN_Eagles and @CN_Hoops on Twitter.
