JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (3-1) begins a three-game home stand as it welcomes SAC foe Wingate (3-1) to Holt Fieldhouse tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m. for a non-conference game.
It's the second straight season where C-N will face a South Atlantic Conference team for a matchup that will serve as a non-conference game toward the end of November. Last season it was Catawba, who defeated the Lady Eagles 63-58 at Holt on Nov. 28.
This begins a stretch where the Lady Eagles will play their next three games over the next 18 days, all three at home.
After a pair of victories at home to start the season, C-N is off to its best start at home since the 2020-21 season that saw the Lady Eagles win all eight of their regular season home games.
Tomorrow's meeting will serve as the 84th all-time, for a series that started in 1987. The two schools will now have met for 33 straight seasons, dating back to 1990. The Bulldogs have had the edge in the series recently, winning three of the last four meetings. The same can be said when these two teams have met inside Holt Fieldhouse. Three of the last four games played in Mossy Creek have been won by the visitors.
Despite such a competitive series that has seen each team win four games over the last eight, only three of those eight games have been decided by single digits.
The Lady Eagles have been defensive minded to start the season. They have only allowed 60 or more points once this season and have forced teams to turn it over 18 times per game. The offensive has thrived off other team's miscues, scoring 80 points off of turnovers in four games. C-N is a +40 in that category against its opponents.
Shooting 27% from three-point range, the Lady Eagles have found success going in the paint. C-N has scored more points in the paint than its opponents in all four games and is a+36 in that category.
DII's active career leader in points scored Braelyn Wykle (Greeneville, Tenn.) is averaging 18.5 points per game and has scored in double-figures in eight straight games. Lindsey Taylor has a pair of double-doubles through her first four games of the season, averaging 11.3 points per game and 6.8 rebounds.
C-N has been effective on the glass through the four games, outrebounding its opponents by nearly eight boards per game. After missed shots, C-N has been crashing the offensive glass and is securing nearly 14 offensive rebounds. The Lady Eagles are 3-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent.
Ann Hancock is in her 22nd season as head coach at Wingate and has won 370 games in her career. Her Bulldogs are coming off their first loss of the season, a 75-66 loss to Augusta on Saturday. The year began with three consecutive wins at home, two of which came by single digits.
Hannah Clark and Emily Hege have served as the team's top two scorers early in the season. Both are averaging 19 points per contest and have shot the ball efficiently, above 50% from both the field and from three-point range. Despite just averaging 66 points per game, the Bulldogs are shooting a very impressive 51% from beyond the arc. That's the third best percentage in the country.
Wingate was picked to finish third in the SAC and was just two points behind C-N for second place in the preseason poll.
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. A live stream of the game is available with a subscription to FloSports.
