JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (5-1) women's basketball team outlasted the Brevard Tornados (1-4) in overtime with a 62-59 victory in the SAC opener at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.

After regulation ended with a score knotted at 50, the Lady Eagles outscored the Tornados 12-9 in overtime to extend Carson-Newman's winning streak to five.

"We live for another day," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "This is the third game in a row where we have not played well, at all and somehow we are able to withstand our sloppiness and turnovers and just bad play overall to get a win. To be 5-1, the way we're playing, we feel very fortunate."

The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by junior Shyra Brown (Cleveland, Tenn.), with her 13 points, with nine of those points coming in the second half. Freshman guard Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.), picked up her first career double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, including seven defensive boards.  Also scoring in double figures for Carson-Newman was freshman Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) and senior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) with players adding 11 points for the Lady Eagles.

After Brevard began the contest with a 13-9 lead, the Lady Eagles would go on an 11-2 run to take a 21-15 lead with just under eight minutes left in the first half. After Carson-Newman stretched the lead to 25-15 with six minutes before halftime, Brevard scored three minutes to cut into the Lady Eagle advantage to put the halftime score at 25-18.

Brevard began the second half on an 8-1 run to tie the game at 26 with 16:49 left in the game. The teams played back-and-forth basketball for the rest of the second half, with neither team gaining an advantage larger than five points.

After the Lady Eagles took a 48-43 lead with 3:33 left in the game, Brevard closed the half on a 7-2 run to send the contest into overtime. The Lady Eagles started the overtime period on a 7-2 run, keyed by four points from James and a three-pointer by senior Whitney Moody (Blountville, Tenn.). Burstrom hit free throws in the final thirty seconds to ensure victory for Carson-Newman.

Brevard was led in scoring by Tuccoa Brackett with her 20 points, and she was joined in double figures by Tempestt Mack (11) and Katie Williams (10).

Carson-Newman will next play on Wednesday Dec. 5 against North Georgia at Holt Fieldhouse at 6 p.m. Coverage on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network, beginning with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 5:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.