JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Behind another strong third quarter, Carson-Newman (14-5, 8-3 SAC) remained unbeaten at home with an 83-58 win over Coker (11-7, 5-6 SAC) on Saturday afternoon inside Holt Fieldhouse.
It was a 25-7 third quarter where Carson-Newman limited Coker to just three baskets that broke the game open.
"We switched up our defense on the ball screens," Mincey said. "We challenged them at the half to get down and guard because we can. It was much better for everyone that played in that third quarter. Certainly, came in and played to what we wanted to adjust to in the second half. We challenged everything they shoot and collecting a lot of defensive rebounds and they helped us be efficient on the offensive end. Again, the third quarter today was a really good quarter."
The Lady Eagles are 10-0 this season and have outscored teams at home by an average of 23 points. C-N has now won eight South Atlantic Conference games this season, all eight of which have been by double-digits. Carson-Newman has won four straight home games by 25 points or more.
Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) paced four double-figure scorers with 19 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and 21st of her career. Makayla Alvey and Braelyn Wykle each tossed in 12 points on five baskets, while Alvey led the team with six assists.
Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) had her most efficient game of the season, going four of five for 11 points and six rebounds.
"I've struggled on offense a bit this season," Penland said. "I haven't been shooting it my best. I just tried to come into today and forget about the past and start a new season so to say. Just come in and play the game I am capable of playing and just do what I can for my team to win."
"I love when she plays like that," Mincey said. "She has the ability to help us from a scoring standpoint. Kind of like how Tori (Rutherford) has done here recently, having someone other than Braelyn or Lindsey step up and score the ball."
After Coker started out making its first two baskets, C-N slowed that quickly forcing the Cobras to miss six of their next seven shots to grab a 11-7 lead with 4:08 to go in the opening quarter. Baskets by Shawnteanna Tillman and Dasia Lambert trimmed the lead to two, but the Lady Eagles got layups from Mattie Nuckolls and Lindsey Taylor to lead by six at the end of 1.
That late first quarter burst carried into the second, where C-N scored the first eight points of the second to go on a 12-0 run and lead 26-12. The three-ball began dropping for Mincey's squad. Penland, Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) Keeleigh Rogers (Farragut, Tenn.) and Madelyn Ladd (Harriman, Tenn.) buried triples over a three-minute sequence to go up 38-19 with three minutes until halftime. Coker finished the half well, scoring eight of the final ten points to trail 40-27 at intermission.
"They can shoot it," Mincey said. "Those four three-pointers were key in us having that lead at halftime. Its always nice getting three-pointers that aren't coming from Braelyn."
Carson-Newman buried six three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, with six different players knocking them down.
The Lady Eagles started the third quarter on a 15-4 scoring burst to push the lead up to 24 points with 4:39 left in the 3rd quarter. The defense forced Coker to start 2-13 from the field. C-N continued to put the clamps on the Cobras, forcing them to finish the quarter 1-8 shooting, C-N outscored Coker 10-3 in the final four minutes to complete a 25-7 third period to lead by 31.
That third quarter stretch carried into the fourth, as C-N started the period scoring the first 12 points to grow the lead to 43 with seven minutes to go. Coker continued to battle and outscored C-N 24 to 7, the rest of the way to trim the final deficit to 25.
Carson-Newman posted its third-most efficient game of the season, going 33-63 from the field good for 52%. The Lady Eagles dominated the boards as well, outrebounding Coker 45-29.
The defense limited Coker to 32% shooting. It's the tenth straight team that C-N has limited to 38% or worse shooting.
Kristynn Knight led Coker with 13 points and six assists.
Carson-Newman stays at home and gets set for a Wednesday evening matchup with Lincoln Memorial. Tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. 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.
