VIDEO: Campbell Penland Interview
WINGATE, N.C. – Another superb three-point shooting day for Carson-Newman (19-6, 16-5 SAC) helped it become the first team to win at Cuddy Arena this season, collecting a 76-59 road win over Wingate (16-8, 15-5 SAC) on Saturday afternoon.
Prior to this game, Wingate was one of just 14 DII teams unbeaten at home this season and had the longest active winning streak in the Southeast region.
"I thought it was an excellent performance from our group," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "Proud of our kids. The road hasn't always been nice to us this year and we've talked about it a lot. I think we are playing some really good basketball right now and shooting it really well."
Carson-Newman has now won back-to-back games at Wingate and does so for just the fifth time in the series' 38-year history. The win also puts C-N in second place in the South Atlantic Conference standings.
The Lady Eagles have won their past four games and did so again because of stellar shooting from beyond the arc. C-N buried 14 three-pointers, its 11th game with double-digit three-pointers this season.
Made 1⃣4⃣three-pointers
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) February 15, 2025
1⃣1⃣th game with double-digit three-pointers@cjpen14 led 4⃣double-digit scorers
Lady Eagles move into second place in the @SAC_Athletics standings@CNwbasketball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/syzx0JfJrJ
Leading the strong shooting day was senior guard Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.). She was an efficient six of nine from three-point range to finish with a game-high 20 points. Her six triples tie her with Ashley Tipton for third all-time in three-pointers made.
"When your open for threes you have to trust it," Penland said. "I was feeling it and that is one of my strengths to shoot threes. The shots were falling today."
Three other Lady Eagles scored double figures. Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) made four three-pointers to finish with 14 points. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) made three three-pointers and scored 13 points. Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) scored 12 points on her five made field goals and led the team with eight rebounds.
Wingate's offense shot the ball well at the first media break. WU made seven of its first nine shots and at the 4:17 mark led C-N by 3. Both sides traded baskets in the final minutes of the first and the Bulldogs led by 1. The first quarter featured three ties and six lead changes.
Campbell Penland helped end a five-minute scoring drought that lasted from the end of the first period into the second, to tie the game at 23 with 6:47 left in the first half. 60 seconds later, Penland nailed another three-pointer and a Madelyn Ladd jump shot pushed put C-N in front again by three. Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) made it an 8-0 scoring run with her first three-pointer at the 4:30 mark and the Eagles led by six. Carson-Newman would score seven of the final nine points in the half to lead by seven points at intermission.
The Lady Eagles came out on fire from three-point range to start the third quarter. C-N made six of its first eight shots from the field including four of its first five three-point attempts and pushed a seven-point halftime lead to 13 with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter. C-N ended the stellar scoring third quarter with five straight points to lead by 16. The Lady Eagles shot 75 percent in the third and made five of their six three-pointers.
C-N's defense held Wingate to just one basket in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and was able to push the lead to 18 with 5:30 to play. The Lady Eagles put the finishing touches on their fourth straight win thanks to five straight points from Alvey and Penland to make it a 23-point game and what eventually turned into a 17-point road win.
Carson-Newman's 53.8 percent shooting matches its most efficient game on the road this season. C-N's 47 percent shooting from distance is the second-most efficient three-point shooting day of the year and best on the road. C-N made 14 threes while Wingate attempted just 15 and only made two of them.
Penland led C-N with six assists and three others had at least three dimes in a 19-assist performance.
Wingate's Lia Anderson scored 15 points on seven for 10 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
Carson-Newman is back at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday night versus Emory & Henry. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Wasps 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. A live stream of the contest is available with a subscription to FloSports
