EMORY, Va.- From start to finish, Carson-Newman women's basketball (7-5, 3-1) dominated Emory & Henry (5-6, 2-2) at Bob Johnson Court Saturday afternoon, winning 81 to 45.
"We knew how important this game was and what we wanted to obtain before Christmas break, head coach Mike Mincey said. "I think they are really starting to gain a lot of confidence in each other and how we can play. We got back to pressing today and did a great job with that. We did a great job scoring, shooting efficiently on the road. We haven't done so well on the road, so it's nice to put together a really good effort on the road."
The Lady Eagles have now won three straight games, with an average margin of victory of 30 points during the winning streak.
After surrendering the first basket of the game, C-N rattled off the next 22 points to take complete control. Four of C-N's first five field goals were three-point baskets, from four different players to take a 14-2 lead at the 6:35 mark of the first half. C-N led 25-4 at the end of the first quarter, holding the Wasps to just two field goals. The 21-point advantage was the largest first quarter lead for the Eagles in a game this season.
The Lady Eagles continued their strong defensive effort and efficient shooting into the second quarter. C-N grew the lead to 30 points after making three consecutive three pointers in a three-minute stretch just over halfway through the period. C-N outscored E & H by eight points in the period to lead 48-19 at halftime.
C-N picked up where it left off to end the first half, going on a 7-0 scoring run extending the margin to 34 points. A pair of layups in the final minute had the Eagles ahead by 39 after three quarters.
The Lady Eagles gained their biggest lead of the game in the 4th quarter on a Skylar Boshears layup to extend the lead to 69-29. The Wasps put together their best quarter, outscoring C-N 17 to 14 in the final ten minutes.
Braelyn Wykle led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Her first field goal of the game put her into second place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,753 career points in 94 games played.
Kali McMahan was the only other Eagle in double figures, pitching in 13 points, with two made three point field goals. All 12 players that dressed for C-N scored and made a field goal in the 36 point win. C-N shot an efficent 48% from the field, and 43% from beyond the arc.
Junior Harli Smith and Sophomore Campbell Penland each secured a team-high eight rebounds. Wykle and sophomore Tori Rutherford each dished out a team-high three assists.
The Lady Eagles defense held the Wasps to just 45 points, on 18% shooting and 13% from beyond the arc. All those marks were season bests for the C-N defense. Mincey's crew outrebounded Emory & Henry 56-38.
The Eagles get one day off, before returning to the court on Monday for its final game of 2022. C-N hosts King for a non-conference matchup inside Holt Fieldhouse.
Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 3:45 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network
