JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Entering Wednesday night, Carson-Newman and Tusculum are tied for third in the South Atlantic Conference providing a crucial January contest for poll positioning. The game starts at 5:30 p.m. from Holt Fieldhouse.
"You don't need to make the game any bigger than it already is," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "We know it's big. It's a rivalry game against a really good Tusculum team that is playing well. We only have so many more opportunities left this year to play against teams that are going to eventually be in the top 10 in the region. That is a big box that you want to check off. When you are playing against those teams, you need to try to do your best to be successful against those opponents. Plus you're at home. If you have any chance to be in the top four or win the league you can't give up home games and we have already given up one this year to Wingate."
For the 74th time on the hardwood, Tusculum (11-3, 6-2) will be C-N's foe as the Lady Eagles have a commanding 56-17 lead in the all-time series having won each of the last six and 11 of the last 12. The lone triumph for the Pioneers in that stretch came on Feb. 17, 2016 at Holt Fieldhouse, 64-55.
Four of the last six victories have come by double figures and eight of the last 11 coming by at least 10. When the two teams last met on Feb. 20, 2019, Haris Price made two foul shots and Sydney Pearce (Johnson City, Tenn.) made one in the final 15 seconds to prevail 73-71 to clinch a third-straight 20-win season.
Mincey is 12-4 versus Tusculum in his nine-year tenure at Mossy Creek with Carson-Newman (10-4, 6-2) owning the series in Jefferson City to the tune of a 33-5 record. However, three of those losses for the Lady Eagles came during the 2010s.
Tusculum found itself picked fourth in the preseason poll, comfortably above fifth-place Lenoir-Rhyne thanks to the return of reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Year, Mia Long. The senior led Division II in steals per game with 3.96 while scoring in double figures 20 times.
The Pioneers have won five of their last six with their two SAC losses coming to the two top clubs in the league, Catawba at home by seven and Anderson at home by nine. Coach Devan Carter's team is 5-1 on the road and 7-1 away from Greeneville. That marker arrives despite averaging nearly 10 points less, shooting slightly worse and turning the ball over more times on the road.
One of the big strong points for the club comes on the defensive end of the floor where it is forcing the 11th-most turnovers in the nation at nearly 24, good for a plus-eight margin. The unit is 16th in Division in steals per game with 12.4. The Pioneers have double-digit steals 11 times including nine of the last 10.
There are not many glaring weaknesses for Tusculum but the club does commit the 17th-most fouls per game of any team in the country with 21 per night. They are middle of the road in rebounding with 40 per night, sixth in the league. Despite reaching the free-throw line 285 times, the Pioneers are converting 68 percent, 181st in the country.
Long is once again providing an elite defensive season ranking sixth in the nation with 50 steals. The senior ranks in the top five in the league five areas placing second in field-goal percentage at 53 percent and third in assists per game with 3.5. She has 11 games with at least three steals putting up double figures in all but four efforts.
Two players score in double figures on average in Long and the team's leader Sydney Wilson. The latter is averaging 17 over her last four games helped by a 28-point outburst in a win over UVa-Wise. After starting the season 7-for-15 from deep, Wilson is 11-for-48, 23 percent over her last nine.
The Eagle Sports Network has the call for Wednesday's Tennessee tussle with coverage starting at 5:15 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" on 106.3 WPFT-FM with video and audio streams available on cneagles.com/live.
- CN -
