VIDEO: Campbell Penland Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Pulling back into a tie for first place in the Mountain Division of the South Atlantic Conference, Carson-Newman beat Lenoir-Rhyne 80-77 in a game that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes Monday night at Holt Fieldhouse.
"I felt like we did enough stuff to hurt us to potentially lose the game," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "I told them I didn't even want to look at the stat sheet. With how things have been going and how we played some of these fourth quarters, it feels good to get a victory and certainly a victory over a quality opponent. We didn't always play our best but it's a dub and we will take it."
The Lady Eagles run their home winning streak to nine games in a row while beating the Bears for the eighth time in a row. Carson-Newman (16-10, 11-5) went 19-for-22 at the charity stripe, plus-eight over a Lenoir-Rhyne (21-6, 11-6) team that led the league in makes and percentage for the year.
Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) led a quartet of double-digit scorers in the contest with 22 points going 8-for-14 from the floor adding eight rebounds and three steals.
"There was a stretch where I wasn't shooting it great," Penland said. "Offensively it was a struggle for me. I am trying to come in here the last week and play my game and do what I am capable of doing and trying to figure it out and do what my team needs from me."
Harli Smith (Jamestown, Tenn.) chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) missed her first eight shots from the field but made her final five finishing with 17 points on the day.
Skylar Boshears (Lafollette, Tenn.) added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) filled up the stat sheet with five points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
9️⃣ straight home wins
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 21, 2023
8️⃣ victories in a row over LR
�� @torijrutherford filled up the stat sheet
✅ @CNwbasketball is back in the win column pic.twitter.com/vceaGyAIAS
The Lady Eagles scored 10 of the first 12 points of the day only to see the Bears reel off 11 in a row. In a first period without a stoppage over the final 6:28, the teams were deadlocked at 21 after 10 minutes.
Despite going 3:18 without points in the second quarter, the Bears used an 8-0 run to flip a four-point deficit into a four-point lead at 36-32. It was a one-point game with less than 10 seconds to go when a turnover allowed the Bears to push the pad to 38-35 at the break.
Both sides shot under 40 percent in the third period with C-N taking a 51-50 edge behind a 7-0 run on a Wykle trifecta from the left wing. A late layup by the junior gave the club a 55-53 advantage going into the final period.
Over a stretch of six minutes between the third and fourth quarters, the Lady Eagles made 10 of 12 shots while expanding the led to a game-high eight at 71-63. A 7-2 sequence by the Bears trimmed the tally to three with 39 seconds left but the Orange and Blue made five of six at the line down the stretch to win the game.
Emily Harman led all scorers with 29 points going 12-for-23 from the field adding 10 rebounds. Blaikley Crooks added 14 point and Jalen Gathers posted a dozen. Hannah Stull grabbed 13 boards with five blocks and five assists.
The Lady Eagles play their penultimate game of the regular season on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Emory & Henry. 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.
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