SALISBURY, N.C. – In a rematch of the 2021 NCAA Tournament opening round matchup, Carson-Newman looks to get revenge on No. 21 Catawba Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in a road contest against the Indians in another crucial South Atlantic Conference affair against two of the top three teams in the league.
"Catawba beat us fair and square," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "I think we are a more potent basketball team [than last year]. Campbell [Penland] is coming into her own. I think it will be a great matchup. Last year at their place we were shooting the ball well but we turned it over 29 times. You make lazy passes against Catawba they are shooting layups at the other end."
Carson-Newman (11-3, 9-2) has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last six seasons having won two straight road games against top 25 competition since a 67-62 setback at 15th-ranked North Georgia on Nov. 23, 2019, 67-62. Prior to an 84-72 in the season opener against third-ranked Lander this year, the Lady Eagles had played three straight overtime outings against the top 25.
Overall, Wednesday will be the 31st time in the last 15 years that the Orange and Blue will play a ranked foe holding a 17-13 record that includes a 7-5 mark on the road and an 8-5 margin in the SAC regular season. Under Mincey, the Lady Eagles are 15-10 including a 6-3 tally away from home.
The two teams are facing off for the 73rd time with Catawba (12-1, 9-1) holding a 38-34 edge snapping a nine-game skid to the Lady Eagles winning at Mossy Creek in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, 67-48, winning for the first time since Feb. 6, 2016.
Carson-Newman was limited to a 30-percent shooting clip from the floor in the game, its lowest of the year, matching a season low with a pair of three-pointers. C-N trailed wire-to-wire on its home floor suffering its worst home loss since Feb. 9, 2008 when the program lost by 31 points to Mars Hill. It was the first time the club failed to score 50 points at home since Feb. 9, 2013 and fewest points at Holt Fieldhouse since a 63-47 loss to Wingate on Jan. 28, 2006.
This will be the second time that teams meet in the history where Catawba is ranked with the other contest coming on Dec. 7, 2019 at Goodman Gym when C-N left with a 69-68 overtime triumph. Kelci Marosites converted the game-tying foul shot at the end of regulation and Kayla Marosites had a shot block and game-winning free throw to punctuate the victory.
Catawba won its first 11 games of the year suffering an 85-81 loss at Anderson last Wednesday night after trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter before rebounding to beat Tusculum by 10 on the road on Saturday. Nine of the 12 victories this season have come by double figures.
The Indians have seven straight home games including all five this year since falling to Carson-Newman on Feb. 13, 2021, a 68-63 win for the Lady Eagles in a game where they committed 29 turnovers, their most since 2016. C-N shot 55 percent from the field for the game.
Turnovers continue to be a key calling card for Terence McCutcheon's team leading the conference in both turnovers committed, 14.9, and turnovers forced, 22. The club has not turned the ball over more than 19 times in any game this year with six efforts of 15 or fewer.
Five players are averaging double figures this year with Sara McIntosh guiding the group with more than a dozen per night in 20 minutes of action. She is scoring 15 per game in SAC matchups shooting 56 percent from the field posting double figures in seven of the 10 affairs.
Fans can tune into the broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network starting at 5:15 for "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off" on Mountain Sports 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) with an audio stream available on cneagles.com/live free of charge.
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