JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Winners of six straight South Atlantic Conference contests, Carson-Newman returns to Holt Fieldhouse to host the last league team to defeat the Lady Eagles, Limestone, Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
On Dec. 7 in Gaffney, Limestone (9-8, 4-3) drilled 15 three-pointers and shot 49 percent in a 102-73 dismantling of the Orange and Blue. The Saints became the first team to score triple digits in regulation against Carson-Newman (11-6, 6-2) since Kennesaw State won 106-89 on Nov. 16, 1996.
During the Lady Eagles' six-game SAC winning streak, four foes have failed to score more than 55 points averaging 58 points per game (348 total) and only one, Newberry, shot greater than 40 percent. Under coach Mike Mincey, the group is 95-7 when opponents score less than 60 points in a game. Carson-Newman's field-goal percentage defense is 35 percent (125-for-356).
Wednesday is the eighth meeting between the two units with Limestone leading 5-2 thanks to a 4-0 mark at home. Since the Saints joined the SAC, the Lady Eagles have won both meetings at Holt Fieldhouse including a 100-62 throttling in mid-February of last season. The only time the Saints have won at Mossy Creek came on Dec. 11, 2013, an 82-73 victory.
Coach Corey Fox's team has won back-to-back contests and has been dominant at home winning all six contests in Gaffney but is 3-8 when leaving the friendly confines. At home, the Saints are averaging 85 points per game versus 65 away, shooting nearly seven percentage points worse and turning the ball over 18 times per game.
Limestone leads the conference and ranks 15th nationally in three-point percentage burying shots from distance at a 37-percent clip sinking eight per contest. The team has made at least eight in eight games this year going 5-3 in those games. Reagan McCray (46 percent) and Quin Byrd (43 percent) are the top two sharpshooters in the conference making a combined 87.
That duo combined for 44 points and went 12-for-17 from long distance in the first meeting. McCray posted 24 points burying seven trifectas and Byrd added 20 points with five rebounds and five assists. Byrd has been in double digits in each game this year with eight affairs of at least 20 while McCray has been held to single digits in three of her last five.
Ranking 11th in the league in scoring defense yielding 68 points per game, 10 opponents have scored at least 70 in a game winning seven. For the Saints, the club is 6-1 when allowing 60 points or fewer this year and 8-3 when teams shoot below 40 percent.
While C-N allows eight second-chance points per game, the Saints piled up 20 in the first meeting, the most allowed by the group this year. Only eight teams have crested double digits this year in the category with the Lady Eagles dropping four of those games.
Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 5:15 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network. Video is available with your subscription to FloSports.
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