VIDEO: Carson-Newman vs Anderson NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal Highlights
VIDEO: Carson-Newman vs Anderson NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal Full Game Replay
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No. 5/4 Carson-Newman (6-0, 4-0 SAC) continues its three-game road stretch as it faces off against Anderson (2-5, 0-3 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. from the Abney Athletic Center.
Carson-Newman has started its 2024-25 home regular season 6-0, the program's best start to a season since 2020-21. C-N is 4-0 to begin conference action for the first time since 20-21 as well and for the fourth time under head coach Mike Mincey. It's the first time under Mincey that Carson-Newman has won its first six games in a season by double digits. It's just the third occurrence in the program's history being done twice under Lewis Bivens to start the 78-79 season and 84-85 season.
The Lady Eagles are ranked inside the top ten in either poll fourth straight week, and moved into the top five in both polls for the first time this season. It's the first time being ranked in the top five since being in the top five for eight straight weeks during the 2017-18 season.
Superb passing has led to averaging 91 points per game, third-best nationally. The Lady Eagles rank number one in the country with an assist to turnover ratio at 1.67. Leading that charge is Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) who has a ratio of 5.25, fourth-best nationally. Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) is the team leader in assists with 23 and has an assist to turnover ratio at 2.88, 20th best in the country
Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) is Carson-Newman's leading scorer, and the South Atlantic Conference's leading scorer at 19.2 points per game. She has four games with 20 or more pts already this season. Sullivan is shooting above 44% from beyond the arc and from the field.
Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) continues to shoot the basketball well. After two made three-pointers against Emory & Henry, the senior sharpshooter moved into fifth all-time in three-pointers made with 182. This season, she is shooting an impressive 47.5% from three-point range and is top 20 nationally with 19 made three-pointers. Currently, Penland is 24th all-time in scoring with 1,109 career points, she is 19 points from passing Dana Caldwell for the 23rd spot.
Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) continues to move up the scoring ranks. The graduate student forward has 1,350 career points and is 10 away from passing Heather Ford for 10th most points in school history.
These two squads became very familiar with one another this past season, meeting four times during the 2023-24 season. Anderson defended home court in the first meeting with a 13-point home win, but Carson-Newman would go on to win the final three meetings last season. C-N split the regular season series with a five-point home win. AU and C-N met in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference tournament, with Mincey's crew prevailing with a seven-point win. The fourth and final meeting would be the most lobsided of them all, a 20-point rout of the Trojans in the NCAA Regional semifinals. Carson-Newman leads the all-time series 22-14 and has won nine of the past 11 meetings.
After a NCAA Regional semifinal exit to Carson-Newman this past season, Anderson has struggled to begin the 2024-25 season. Picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll, AU has won just two of its first seven games of the season. Both victories came at home in non-conference action to UNC Pembroke and Belmont Abbey by single digit margins.
AU returns home to the Abney Center having lost three straight games to begin conference play. Two of the three conference losses have been by one point to Catawba and Limestone, with the other being a 25-point loss at Mars Hill.
The Trojans' struggles have come in large part to playing without the services of two All-SAC players Diamond McDowell and Zamiya Passmore. McDowell, a first-team All-SAC player last year, has yet to play in a game this season after averaging a double-double in 2023-24. Passmore just made her first appearance of the season last time out, scoring 23 points and made more than 50 percent of her shots.
Playing in all seven games, Rose Gravel has averaged 10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The Trojans rank 12th out of 13 league teams in field goal percentage at 36.8 and dead last in assists per game with just 10.
Tipoff 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.
