JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman saw seven players score in double figures for the first time this century in a 95-67 victory over Queens Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse in a South Atlantic Conference contest.
The Lady Eagles have had six players score in double digits twice since the 2000 season both coming in 2008. The most recent occasion came on Dec. 19, 2008 in a 102-81 victory over North Greenville at home.
In the game, C-N shot 61 percent from the floor marking the first time since Feb. 28, 2009 that the Lady Eagles shoot above 60 percent in a contest when they shot 61.4 percent in a 99-90 loss against Wingate.
Carson-Newman (5-4, 2-1) has won five straight games against Queens (1-8, 1-3) after dropping the first two outings against the Royals in the seven-game series.
"We know we are talented," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "We have had some setbacks this first semester. Tonight was one of those games that we came out at home and had the right mindset from the get-go. They scored the ball really well. The seven double figure scorers is remarkable."
Mincey's group started the game on a 14-2 run in the first 3:24 of the contest in a quarter that saw the Lady Eagles shoot 75 percent, 12-for-16, from the field. Scoring 12 points off of eight turnovers from Queens, C-N had a 29-13 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.
The lead was 31-15 when C-N used an 11-0 run to expand the lead to 27 at 42-15. Carson-Newman's largest lead of the half came as senior guard Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.) buried a triple from the top of the key to put the home group ahead by 32 at 57-25 at halftime.
The Lady Eagles shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half as all 11 healthy players scored for Mincey. No one on either side posted a double-digit first half as a trio of C-N players had eight points. Carson-Newman scored 26 points off of turnovers while giving the ball away just three times.
Queens went 9-for-13 from the floor and Carson-Newman made nine of its 14 attempts in the third quarter as the Royals sliced three points off of the halftime deficit to make it a 76-47 game entering the fourth frame.
Both teams shot above 50 percent in the fourth quarter as Queens did not make a field goal in the final 2:37 of the game to see C-N keep its 28-point margin of victory.
Carson-Newman handed out 30 assists on 42 made baskets, its second 30-assist game this season while scoring 62 points in the paint.
"Knowing that Queens is a great team we knew we were going to be ready to play," sophomore guard Haris Price said. "We had to be ready to play. Defensively, we were everywhere. The defense sprung our offense. If we played slow, Queens was going to hang around. We had to get after it."
Redshirt-junior Katie Stubblefield (Alcoa, Tenn.) led the way with a career-high 16 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Sophomore Briana Smith (Nashville, Tenn.) had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Sophomore Ashton Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) had 11 points while sophomore Mika Wester (Newport, Tenn.), junior Jecca Simerly (Talbott, Tenn.), senior Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) and Brooks all added 10 points with Brooks handing out eight assists.
Queens was led by career-high efforts from McKell Oliverio and Mandy McNeese as each dropped 22 points in the game. Sarah Henson added 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting on the night.
The Lady Eagles look to keep the ball rolling Wednesday night inside of Holt Fieldhouse when Catawba College comes to town for a 6 p.m. contest. The Eagle Sports Network has the coverage on Mountain Country 106.3 WPFT-FM and on cneagles.com/live with audio and video broadcasts. The action starts at 5:45 p.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off".
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