JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 9/7 Carson-Newman (5-0, 3-0 SAC) begins a stretch where it will play six of its next seven games on the road, when it travels to Emory, Virginia for a South Atlantic Conference road contest against Emory & Henry (3-3, 0-2 SAC) Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Carson-Newman is 5-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season. It's the 12th time in program history starting a season 5-0. C-N is 3-0 to begin conference action for the first time since 20-21 as well, and for the fourth time under head coach Mike Mincey.
After averaging 21 points per game this past week, Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) has soared up the all-time scoring list, moving up to 24th all-time with 1,101 career points. The senior guard is 98 points from moving into the top 20. Her quality scoring effort was in large part to her three-point shooting. She drilled five triples in each win last week, bringing her career three-point total to 180. Penland's next triple will put her into the top five in three-pointers made in program history.
Speaking of the scoring list, Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) continues to move up the ranks as well. The graduate student forward has 1,348 career points and is 12 away from passing Heather Ford for 10th most in school history.
Carson-Newman's offense has been clicking on all cylinders to start the year. It's the first time in program history that Carson-Newman has scored 90 points or more in its first five games of a season. There have been multiple instances of scoring 80+ points in the first few games of a season, but never 90 or more. It's just the third time under Mincey that the Lady Eagles have scored 90 points or more in five straight games. C-N scored 90+ in five straight games, two different times during a 32-win 2017-18 season. Carson-Newman's 94.0 points per game is number one nationally.
The offense has been clicking thanks to C-N's efficiency and care with the ball. The Lady Eagles are shooting 46% from the field, the 35th most efficient mark in the country. They have displayed an elite level of passing as well, posting a 1.70 assist to turnover ratio, the second-best nationally and average 21.8 assists per game, the second most nationally.
The Lady Eagles have won all five meetings in this series with all but one contest being decided by double digits. The two squads met two weeks apart last season, with C-N crushing E&H 88-48 the first time around. The most recent meeting was a 74-63 Carson-Newman victory, a game in which the Lady Eagles reset the program's record for steals in a game with 31.
Emory & Henry wraps up its three-game homestand to begin South Atlantic Conference play against C-N on Tuesday. The homestand has not treated the Wasps well, who have lost both home games to UVA Wise and Lenoir-Rhyne. Both losses were by double digits and games that E&H allowed 76 and 80 points. Prior to this two-game skid, the Wasps had won three of their first four games of the season, two of which came on their home floor versus King and Virginia Union.
E&H was picked to finish 11th in the SAC preseason coaches' poll. The Wasps are trying to snap a streak of six straight home conference losses dating back to last season.
Preseason first-team All-SAC forward Breanna Yarber has been E&H's best player to start the year. Her 18.5 points per game are second-most in the league, while shooting 51% from the field. She has missed two of the last three games. Emma Santoro is the only other Wasp with a double figure scoring average at 13 per game on 52% shooting.
E&H has done well defending against the three-point shot. Jaclyn Dickens' team has forced opponents to shoot just 24% from beyond the arc and is allowing just 64 points per game on average. Similar to C-N, E&H has a quality assist to turnover ratio at 0.89, third best in the SAC.
Tipoff from the King Center is set for 2:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
A live stream of the contest is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/flowbb.
