ANDERSON, S.C. – Senior forward Zoriah Williams had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in her final regular season game as the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles beat Anderson University (S.C.), 57-48, in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, C-N improves to 16-10 on the year and finishes at 10-8 in SAC play. Anderson falls to 10-16.
Carson-Newman held Anderson to six first-half field goals en route to building a 34-18 halftime lead.
All eight Lady Eagles that played in the first half scored. Sophomore guard Rechelle Dye knocked down a three-pointer as the first half clock expired to give C-N its largest lead of the basketball game.
Anderson rallied with the first 11 points of the second half to cut the lead to seven at 34-29, but C-N wore down the clock and the Trojans to finish the season with three-straight SAC wins.
Dye found Williams on rolling off a screen for a layup with 4:30 left to play in the game as C-N held off a late Anderson rally. Williams knocked down the free throw to convert the three-point play and give C-N a nine-point lead in the final minutes.
C-N had only four field goals in the second half, but shot 43 percent in the first half (12-of-28) to grab its big lead at the break.
The Lady Eagles made the most of its opportunities against an aggressive Anderson defense in the second half. They made 20-of-24 free throws in the basketball game, and shot 88 percent (14-of-16) in the second half to keep Anderson down by a few possessions.
Dye had nine points for C-N, while Courdne Miles added nine and six rebounds. Miles had a running hook in the lane with five minutes left to give the Lady Eagles a 51-41 lead and stop Anderson's momentum after back-to-back buckets from Alyssa Diaz.
Diaz led all scorers with 20 points, but got little help. Lauren Woods added 11 for the Trojans, but was only 4-of-11 from the floor.
C-N's bench outscored Anderson's, 16-6, led my Miles.
Carson-Newman will find out its South Atlantic Conference Tournament opponent on Saturday evening. It will be the No. 5 seed and face either Tusculum or Lenoir-Rhyne on the road on Wednesday night.
