VIDEO: Lindsey Taylor Interview
NEWBERRY, S.C. – No. 22/16 Carson-Newman (12-4, 9-3 SAC) continued its winning ways against the Wolves, using an efficient scoring effort to collect a 15th straight victory over Newberry (5-10, 4-7 SAC) 79-59 on Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena.
Carson-Newman has won 15 straight contests versus Newberry and now its last seven trips on the road in this series. 11 of the 15 wins have come by double-digits.
After getting beat on the glass 45-28 in Wednesday's loss to LMU, C-N made a concerted effort to win that battle today. The Lady Eagles grabbed 41 boards to Newberry's 26. C-N had more defensive rebounds than Newberry had total.
"We wanted to win the rebounding battle and go from there," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "We wanted to win it resoundingly and I thought we did. We changed how we played today and our style, some out of necessity and some because it is what we wanted to do. This basketball team responded today and probably performed today as well as any team I've had at Newberry."
Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) scored a season-high 28 points and made a season-high 14 of her 18 shots around the rim. Her scoring was evenly distributed through each quarter, scoring eight points each in the first and second quarters and then six each in the third and fourth quarters.
"She came in focused and detail-oriented," Mincey said. "We needed a big game out of her because this is a tough place to play and to shoot for sure. We needed those paint points and inside buckets and I think she kept us in that mindset with her play."
Carson-Newman had its second-best shooting day of the season, making 54 percent of its shots. It is the most efficient road scoring effort since shooting 61 percent at Coker on February 26, 2022.
It wasn't just Taylor's season-high 28 points that helped the efficient attack on offense. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) pitched in with 13 points and three made triples. Makayla Alvey (Dandridge, Tenn.) matched her career-high with three made triples as well and scored 11 points on four of six shooting from the field.
Taylor scored eight points in the opening quarter and C-N led 18-9 after one. The Lady Eagles scored ten of the final 13 points in the period.
C-N grabbed its first double-digit lead when Abigail Johnson (Cookeville, Tenn.) grabbed an offensive rebound and then made a layup to make it 22-12 with 8:20 to play. Both teams went back and forth throughout the rest of the second quarter and Carson-Newman took an eight-point lead into the locker room. Newberry outscored the Lady Eagles 19-18 in the second, with most teams shooting above 50 percent from the field.
Jennifer Sullivan and Campbell Penland led C-N on a 7-0 scoring run to help gain the largest lead of the game at 45-30 with 7:27 to play in the third quarter. Carson-Newman's stellar shooting period helped grow the margin to as many as 20 in the third and eventually led 62-44 after three quarters. The Lady Eagles shot 65 percent in the third and outscored Newberry 26-16.
With Newberry seeking a comeback, C-N did not allow that to occur. An Alvey triple at the halfway point of the fourth quarter helped the Lady Eagles increase the lead back to 20 points. Mincey's team continued to stave off any comeback attempt to hold on for a 20-point win.
Season-high 2⃣8⃣ points from @19LindseyTaylor
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 11, 2025
➕1⃣5⃣ on the glass
5⃣4⃣ percent shooting
The Lady Eagles snap a two-game losing streak by having its most efficient scoring effort on the road this season��@CNwbasketball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/uisbPrDrAl
Carson-Newman held a 44-20 advantage on points in the paint. The Lady Eagles made 10 three-pointers for the sixth time this season and for the third time on the road.
Marykate Kent scored a career-high 21 points on a career-high 7 triples and was Newberry's only player to score in double figures.
The 79-59 final score is not a scorigami. This is the third time this score has occured in program history.
Carson-Newman is back on the floor Wednesday evening versus UVA Wise. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Cavaliers is set for 5:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 5:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
