JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – A rematch of this past season's South Atlantic Conference tournament championship is on tap when No. 25 Carson-Newman (13-4, 10-3 SAC) welcomes Wingate (10-5, 9-2 SAC) to Holt Fieldhouse for a Saturday afternoon conference contest.
The matchup features two of the best teams in the conference this season, with Wingate holding a slight edge of second place over C-N. Both teams are among just nine other Southeast region teams that have won double-digit games so far this season.
The Lady Eagles offense has been quite impressive throughout the season, especially at Holt Fieldhouse. Mincey's club is averaging 93.3 points per game at home and shoots near 50 percent from the field. The sixth-best scoring offense nationally at 83.6 points per game will be put to the test against one of the best defenses in the league.
The number one defense in the SAC allows 59.6 points per game and also has the best field goal percentage defense in the conference at 36.7 percent. Wingate has held nine opponents to sub 40 percent shooting.
Carson-Newman won its second straight game by scoring 108 points in a 32-point win versus UVA Wise on Wednesday evening at Holt Fieldhouse. The Lady Eagles were super-efficient, making 54 percent of their shots for the second straight game. It's just the second time under Mincey that C-N has shot 54 percent or better in back-to-back contests, with the first time being during 2017-18 in wins versus Coker and Queens in early Dec. The program has only shot 54 percent or better in back-to-back games three times the past 25 seasons.
Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) recorded her 27th career double-double on Wednesday night, going for 16 points and ten rebounds. She ranks top ten all-time in C-N history in both scoring and rebounding. She moved into fourth place all-time on the scoring list and now sits 239 points away from passing Leah Jackson for third. Since the start of the new calendar year, Taylor has been on a tear averaging 20.4 points per game while shooting 75 percent from the field.
Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) is coming off her best performance as a Lady Eagle on Wednesday. She made a career-high 11 baskets to score a career-high 29 points, 24 of which came in the opening half. The junior guard made five of her eight three-point attempts and also dished out a career-high five assists.
Saturday's game is a rematch of this past season's South Atlantic Conference title game. Wingate's win in the conference title game ended a two-game Carson-Newman winning streak in the series. The Bulldogs held C-N to a season-low 29 percent shooting and made 46 of their shots in the 16-point win. Carson-Newman has won two of the past three games in Holt Fieldhouse against WU, but trails the all-time series 38-48.
After going 3-4 in the first month of the season, Wingate turned things around by winning seven straight games over the past two months. That winning streak was snapped by Mars Hill on Sunday afternoon. WU is in second place at 9-2 in its South Atlantic Conference contests this season, with both losses coming in road trips.
The Bulldogs' success can be attributed toward their high level of defense over the past two months. Over the last eight games, only two opponents have managed to score 60 points or more against Ann Hancock's defense.
Lia Anderson is the top scorer for Wingate at 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. The sophomore forward has three double-doubles this season and went for a career-high 33 points in a win versus Anderson on Dec 4. Aniyah Oliver is second in the conference in assists per game at 3.7. The point guard helps lead a WU team that is first in turnovers at just 14.5 per game this season.
Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Bulldogs 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.
