JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman College women's basketball team came alive in the second half to pick up their first South Atlantic Conference win of the season. The Lady Eagles outscored Wingate University 32-12 over the final 14 minutes to grab a 54-50 win at Hold Field House Wednesday night.
Carson-Newman goes into its winter break at with a record of 5-5 with a 1-1 mark in the SAC. The Lady Eagles will have two weeks off before facing Florida Tech in the Rollins Classic in Winter Park, Fla. on Dec. 29.
As cold as it was outside with inclement weather forecasted for the night, the Lady Eagles were even colder on the court in the first half. Carson-Newman shot just 21 percent in the opening period and was 0-for-7 as a team from beyond the 3-point stripe. C-N was out-rebounded 28-19 in the first half and needed a spark to get back into the game. The Lady Eagles trailed 24-17 at the half.
"We were as cold as the gym," C-N women's head coach Dean Walsh said. "We don't want to play in the first half in any of our games this year. We've outplayed our opponents in the second half all year. We've got to figure out how to start a game.
The spark was provided by freshman forward Shannon Depew (Newport, Tenn.). After being held scoreless in the first half going 0-for-4, Depew began raining shots in from the perimeter. Depew finished with 15 points to lead all scorers and hit three 3-pointers in the second half.
"I challenged Shannon to stop being so passive and start taking her shot when she was open, because she was hesitating," Walsh said. "She shot well and was making things happen on the offensive glass."
Junior forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was her third straight game with a double-double.
The Lady Eagles used a 16-0 run in the second half opened up by a jumper from senior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.). A 3-pointer from freshman guard Rechelle Dye (Greeneville, Tenn.) kept the rally going.
Defensively, the Lady Eagles held Wingate scoreless for nearly seven full minutes in the second half. Finally, with a layup from Williams C-N took its first lead of the game, 43-42 with a little over three minutes to go.
"I don't know what set us off," Walsh said. "We outrebounded them by 11 in the second half and had 10 assists. Defense and rebounding kept us in it. We quit turning it over and shut them down."
