JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Down by 22 with three minutes to play in the third quarter, Carson-Newman came racing back to take a five-point lead with 2:22 to go only to see Kristynn Knight sink a shot with under two seconds to play to hand Carson-Newman its first home loss to a South Atlantic Conference team Saturday at Holt Fieldhouse.
"I clearly didn't have this team ready to play and that's solely on me," Carson-Newman coach Mike Mincey said. "On a positive note, I am glad we found a lineup of four freshman and a junior to start playing defense and getting stops. Up to that point, Coker had scored anyway they wanted. Not only did that group get stops but they chipped away by scoring. The entire complexion of the game changed when that group went in and I am mad I didn't make the move sooner. I really thought Tori stepped up in a major way."
The Lady Eagles had won 10 in a row at home and been undefeated against league teams before the loss on Saturday, the first home loss for the group since falling to No. 18 Catawba on Nov. 28.
Despite the loss, Carson-Newman (17-11, 12-6) still wins the Mountain Division title outright after Catawba beat Tusculum winning the program's seventh regular-season championship and third overall title in the last three years.
Having won 13 in a row in the series, the Lady Eagles lose to the Cobras for the first time since Jan. 17, 2015 and the first time at home to Coker.
Four players finished in double figures led by Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) with a career-high 20 points going 6-for-8 from the field adding seven rebounds and five assists.
Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) scored 15 of her 19 points after halftime making seven of 12 from the field. Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) posted 15 points and Harli Smith (Jamestown, Tenn.) chipped in 10 points.
The Cobras came out of the gates swinging opening the game with 12 of the first 17 points before an 8-0 C-N run put the Lady Eagles ahead 13-12 with 4:40 to play in the half. Coker scored the next seven and took a 26-19 lead after 10 minutes, the most first quarter points allowed by the Orange and Blue this year.
After Penland cashed in a trifecta to start the second, the Snakes made three straight triples and built up a 14-point lead in the second quarter before going into the locker room on top 46-34. It was fourth time this season that the Lady Eagles had faced a double-digit deficit at the break this year.
In the third, the Cobras made eight of their first 10 shots from the field to push the margin out to 22 points at 66-44 with 2:56 to play in the period. The Lady Eagles closed on an 8-1 run to trim it to 67-52 going to the fourth.
Carson-Newman scored the first 13 points of the fourth using a 28-3 run overall to take a 72-69 edge with 3:55 to play. With 2:22 to go in the contest, the Lady Eagles went ahead 76-71 but the team did not make a field goal over the final 3:55.
After the Cobras went on top 78-77 with 25 seconds to go, Rutherford made a pair of foul shots to put the home group ahead 79-78 with 18 seconds left. Knight dribbled into the paint and pushed in a short jumper with 1.5 seconds to go. A last second heave went over the top of the backboard.
Coker shot 54 percent from the field and made eight of 13 from beyond the arc starting the game going 25-for-39 from the field. The Cobras scored 20 points off of 22 C-N turnovers.
Mya Wasswa led the visitors in scoring with 18 points, three assists and three steals. Valicia Demeritte added 15 points and Dominique Rodriguez added 10.
The Lady Eagles open up the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Anderson. Broadcast coverage airs on Mountain Talk 106.3 FM and cneagles.com/live starting at 6:45 p.m. with "The AEC Countdown to Tip-Off" courtesy of the Eagle Sports Network.
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