VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
VIDEO: Jonathan Zhao Interview
VIDEO: Matt Bilbrey Interview
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Carson-Newman (11-5, 6-4 South Atlantic Conference) drilled 19 threes and staved off a late rally from No. 24/18 Coker to collect a 103-97 win over the Cobras Saturday at the DeLoach Center.
The 19 threes the Eagles made are the fourth-most in a game in school history, but the most ever in a road game. C-N stroked it a remarkable clip; the 65.5 percent mark from deep is the Eagles' third-highest shooting percentage in school history.
The win snaps a three-game road losing streak for the Eagles while giving C-N its second consecutive win over a ranked foe. C-N defeated No. 9/7 North Georgia before the Christmas Break 89-68. It marks the third win for C-N over a ranked foe this season, the most in a single season in Chuck Benson's 15-year tenure as head coach. It also goes down as C-N's first road win over a ranked foe since C-N's nine-point triumph at No. 17 Queens in the SAC title game from March of 2021.
"Our shot-making was off the charts," head coach Chuck Benson said. "I thought our defense was solid, especially when it needed to be solid. We had some game-specific goals that we wanted to meet and we did that. They're the best in the country with 16 threes per game, we wanted to keep them under that and we held them to 12. We made more free throws than they attempted. We knew it was going to be tough here today. They're going to win a lot of games on this court. Today, we were able to perform at a high enough level that we were able to get a win on the road, which we desperately needed."
Carson-Newman led wire-to-wire for the third time this season and for a second consecutive game.
The Eagles established a lead early thanks to the three ball. In fact, it was how C-N scored its first 21 points. A streak that was only broken up because Matt Bilbrey (Cross Plains, Tenn.) was fouled as he buried the Eagles seventh three of the half. Carson-Newman started 8-of-10 from beyond the arc, finishing the first half 12-of-17 from range.
"We're not going to pull that thing out everytime, but we are going to pull it out sometimes," head coach Chuck Benson said. "Sometimes, we'll attack and take the open shots. Our guys did a great job of knowing when to do either one. Everyone was willing to make the extra pass to find catch shots, which is what we were looking for."
C-N didn't attempt a two-pointer until the 12-minute mark, and didn't score from two until Nick Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) hit a layup with 6:09 to go in the opening half. Of C-N's 54 first-half points, only eight came from inside the three-point arc.
The Eagles led 54-51 at the break, but turned the lead into a double-digit one in short order. A 13-5 burst put the Eagles up 11 with 10:13 to go after a Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) three and a pair of free throws.
Coker rallied with an 8-0 run combined with a 4:05 stretch for C-N where the Eagles failed to score a field goal but did manage to get to the line eight times and sink seven free throws. The run got Coker within three with 2:35 to go after a Max Hurray layup.
John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) made it a four-point game with 64 seconds left off a screen and roll bucket with Braden Ilic (Morristown, Tenn.).
Coker answered with a Judson Coan layup with 53 seconds left to get back within two. C-N milked clock on its next possession before turning it over with two seconds left on the shot clock and 21 seconds left in the game.
Landon Butler drove to the basket with 11 seconds left to tie, but Ilic erased his right-handed layup from behind. Browder grabbed the board, outletting it ahead to Trey Hubbard (Charlotte, N.C.) for a finger roll that sealed the game for C-N.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 5, 2025
➡️ @JackBrowder3
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Zhao led C-N with his 25th career 20-point night. He finished with a hyper-efficient 29. He was 9-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-8 from three.
"Every single one of my points came from an assist," Zhao said. "Nick brought up how unified we felt against North Georgia. I think we carried that unity over to today and when that happens we will share the ball at an elite level."
Zhao hit seven threes for a third time in his career. It marked the 34th time in school history a player buried at least seven triples. It gives him an even 200 for his career, the ninth player in program history to 200 career threes. With Zhao's effort he also moved past Braun Dabbs and into 31st on C-N's all-time scoring list with 1,153 career points.
"We needed shot-making," Benson said. "Schematically, we knew we could get shots, but then you gotta make them. John has proven time and time again that he is a consistent shot maker. At the end of the day, the number one thing that matters is can you put the ball in the basket. John does that as well as anyone."
Zhao was one of five Eagles in double figures. Browder followed with 19. He was 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep. Hubbard added in 17 to go with six assists. He was a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe.
Brenegan chipped in 16 points, going 4-of-8 from deep. He also had four assists.
��second straight win over a ranked team
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 5, 2025
�� most threes in a road game in school history
�� third-best three-point shooting percentage in school history @JonathanZhao22 is the 34rd guy to hit seven threes in a game for C-N @CN_Hoops x #TalonsUp x #GMTE pic.twitter.com/P9jbzXRiZL
Bilbrey chipped in with 11 off the bench – a new career high. He was 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from distance. He scored his 11 points in 15 minutes.
"We threw Matt into the snake pit and he responded," Benson said. "It's difficult when you are a freshman playing with veteran guys. He got it done for us. Trey got fatigued and Matt stepped up and gave us a level of composure that we needed."
Facing full court pressure for all 40 minutes, C-N did turn it over 11 times in the first half, but settled down for only five giveaways after halftime. Coker outscored C-N 21-5 in points off turnovers. Coker only had two turnovers, one each half.
"Our guys settled a bit," Benson said. "You can only prepare so much for Coker because you can't imitate them in practice. That first half enabled us to have a deeper understanding of their press. It's really good and effective, and it took us a half to settle in."
The Cobras attempted 28 more shots than C-N. Coker went 34-of-77 (44.2 percent) compared to C-N's 31-of-49 effort (63.3 percent). Coker knocked down 12-of-32 threes (37.5 percent). However, C-N made more free throws (22-of-27) than Coker attempted (17-of-21).
Carson-Newman owned the glass, outrebounding the Cobras 35-29.
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— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 4, 2025
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FINAL pic.twitter.com/jk4v3W4o65
Max Hurray led Coker with a career-high 22 points. He was 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Sebastian Cole and Coan both had 16-point days.
C-N faces a third-straight ranked foe when it welcomes Lincoln Memorial to Holt Fieldhouse Wednesday at 7:30. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloMBB.
