Carson-Newman Game Notes - Mars Hill Away

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (4-1, 2-0 South Atlantic Conference) women's basketball team will finish their pre-Thanksgiving conference slate by facing the Mars Hill Lions (1-3, 0-2 South Atlantic Conference) at Stanford Arena in Mars Hill, N.C., on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Carson-Newman has won its last three games, including conference wins over Tusculum and Coker, with all games featuring second half comebacks.

"We have some momentum going our way," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "I think the staff and players all know that the last three victories we've had, we've had to come from behind in the second half to get the wins. We're fortunate to be 4-1 and we've had to make some plays to get that done."

The Lady Eagles saw four players reach double-digit scoring, with the 14 points of sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) and sophomore Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) leading the way. Burstom and McLaughlin were joined in double-figures by the 12 points of freshman Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) and Lashawnda Peacher (Springfield, Tenn.) who scored 10.

Coker grabbed the lead early in the second half, and grew the lead to eight points (53-45) with 9:43 remaining. The Lady Eagles responded with a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to take the lead for good, thanks mainly to made free throws. The Cobras cut the Carson-Newman lead to 63-60 with 47 seconds left to play following a Hailey Yohn 3-pointer. Coker would get to within two following another 3-pointer by Tanesha Stenson, but the Lady Eagles put the game away at the charity stripe, scoring the last six points of the game at the line to win 71-63.

Carson-Newman is led in scoring by McLaughlin, who has scored in double-figures the past three past two games, and she now averages 11.4 points per game. Burstrom is also averaging double-figures, averaging 10.4 points per game and she leads the team with 11 3-pointers this season.

Mars Hill, coached by Sarah Jansen, is off to a 1-3 start overall and 0-2 in SAC play. The Lions were picked to finish 12^th out of 12 teams in the preseason SAC coaches poll, and guard Ansley Ricker was the only player named to the preseason All-SAC team from Mars Hill. Ricker leads Mars Hill by averaging 14.5 points per game.

Carson-Newman swept the season series against Mars Hill last season, winning 70-49 at Mars Hill on Jan. 16, while winning 61-51 on Feb. 13 at Holt Fieldhouse.

Tuesday's game will be carried on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. with "The Countdown to Tipoff," and live audio also available on www.cneagles.com.