VIDEO: Lindsey Taylor Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With the start of the season later this week, the conclusion of the Carson-Newman women's basketball preview shines the light on the Lady Eagles frontcourt with two-time first-team All-South Atlantic Conference selection Lindsey Taylor.
Some of the team's key pieces from a SAC Tournament title graduated from this group anchored by Addison Byrd, one of the two four-time All-SAC picks in program history. Byrd finished her career 14th on the school's all-time scoring list and 10th on the team's three-pointers ledger. On top of Byrd, Sydney Pearce, one of the top shot blockers nationally last year, tied the bow on a career that saw her finish fourth in school history with 134 rejections. Rounding out the departures, Taylor Goforth started 15 games and averaged 20 minutes per game.
"It's not just being a vocal leader but leading by example," Taylor said. "I think that's a big thing in practice. I try to help the posts out. My big goal is to help Ruthie and Kali and it's been good with them so far. [Sydney] was a great defender. She was big on fouling so I am trying to take that under consideration this year because that is something I have struggled with. The attitude she brought to the guard was always positive and willing to help anyone out."
However the team returns one of the top post players in the country in Taylor. The Maryville, Tenn. native has made 62 percent of her shots over her career, the fourth-best among active Division II players and eighth-best tally among all three divisions. Carson-Newman went 25-1 when the post player scored in double figures and she earned the SAC Tournament MVP award scoring 54 points adding 29 rebounds while going 24-for-41 from the field in three victories.
Taylor has tallied 11 career accolades and rewrote the history books when she went 15-for-16 from the field in a 20-point win at Coker on Feb. 26 scoring a career-high 35 points. She enters the year needing 60 points to tally 1,000 career points.
"The big thing for me is to continue to knock those shots down at that 15-foot range," Taylor said. "It makes me more versatile and helps the guards get open since everyone is used to guarding me in the post. Being able to shoot outside can help me out a lot and help the guards out."
Adding to the depth, Skylar Boshears (LaFollette, Tenn.) posted 11 double-digit scoring nights in 2021-22 making 18 starts playing in all 33 games. She scored 20 points going 9-for-11 from the field, the fifth time in her career she has hit at least 20 points in a game in the home opener against Queens on Nov. 20.
Harli Smith (Jamestown, Tenn.) has been a consistent piece to the team's puzzle for three years scoring 10-plus points 24 times in the first 71 games of her career and dished out at least three assists 10 times as a junior. Despite missing 11 games last year, she scored 15 points going 6-for-6 from the field in an overtime win at Catawba on Jan. 12.
Three newcomers will get their turn at adding to the team's depth for the year. After redshirting last season, Ruthie Mbugua (Danville, Ky.) swatted three shots and raked in three rebounds over 13 minutes against No. 5 Tennessee in the team's exhibition game. Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.) produced an award-filled career at Farragut and had five rebounds against the Lady Vols. Kali McMahan (Dandridge, Tenn.) rounds out the options on the blocks.
"This year the big goal is to get where we want to end up in nationals being in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight to get back to that platform," Taylor said. "We are really excited and we have the players to do it."
The season opens with an affair against Lander on Saturday at 3 p.m. from Aiken, S.C. for a game airing on the Eagle Sports Network starting 15 minutes prior to tip-off with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off".
- CN
