VIDEO: Carson-Newman vs #8/3 North Georgia 2022 Highlights
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – No.10/6 Carson-Newman (10-1, 8-1 SAC) closes the first semester with a ranked showdown against No.18/15 North Georgia (9-0, 1-0 PBC) on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. inside the UNG Convocation Center.
Carson-Newman gets its first crack at a win over a ranked team. The Lady Eagles are 21-22 all-time against nationally ranked teams and have defeated a ranked squad each of the last nine years. Of the 21 ranked victories, eight have come on the road but C-N has dropped is last six games against ranked teams on the road.
Saturday's contest will be the seventh straight meeting in which C-N or UNG is ranked when playing one another. Over the last six meetings that span back to 2018, the series is dead split at 3-3. Carson-Newman won the most recent meeting between the two sides on December 3rd, 2022 in Holt Fieldhouse. Mincey's squad thrashed a Nighthawks squad that was ranked in the top ten in both polls by 31 points. It was and still is C-N's largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history.
The Lady Eagles have already surpassed their road win total from 2023-24, after defeating Limestone 69- 55 on Wednesday afternoon. C-N is 5-1 on the road this season and is holding opponents to just 64.8 points per game away from home.
The seventh-best scoring offense in the country at 84.6 points per game, leads DII in assists per game at 20.3, while also holding the third-best assist to turnover ratio at 1.38. Defensively, C-N forces 23 turnovers per game and leads the conference in steals per game with 12.5.
Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) is number eight on the all-time scoring list with 1,393 career points. She is just 61 points away from passing Karen Miracle for seventh-most in program history.
Campbell Penland's (Sevierville, Tenn.)1,167 career points are 22nd in school history. She is 27 points from passing Zoriah Williams on the scoring list. Penland ranks first in the South Atlantic Conference in three-pointers made (31), three-point percentage (46.2) and three-point pointers made per game (2.7).
No. 18/15 North Georgia is one of just nine remaining unbeaten teams in DII and one of two left in the Southeast region. The Nighthawks are 9-0 with six of those victories coming by double-digits. They do hold a ranked win on their resume already, defeating #16 Nova Southeastern at home on Nov. 16. UNG is coming off just a 17-win season in 2023, its fewest since 2016 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons.
Head coach Buffie Burson's 641 career wins are the eighth-most wins among active head coach, having spent all 31 seasons of her coaching career in Dahlonega. 24 winning seasons under her guidance and 11 straight seasons. She has guided UNG to seven NCAA appearances.
All-American guard Caroline Martin averages 17.3 points per game while making more than 40 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. Emily Trushel and Averie Jones average double-figures as well, at 13.6 and 12.3, respectively.
UNG is top 20 nationally in free throw attempts per game and free throws made per game, getting to the line 23 times per game and making 76 percent of them. Four players shoot better than 80 percent from the line.
Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and the Nighthawks is set for 1:30. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
