Eagles fall to Hillsdale, 71-66, in Pioneer Classic

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman men's basketball team dropped a 71-66 decision to Hillsdale College on Saturday afternoon in the Pioneer Classic hosted by Tusculum College.

Hillsdale used a 21-8 run late in the second half to slip past the Eagles.

With the loss, C-N falls to 0-3 on the season. Hillsdale improves to 4-0 overall.

The Eagles shot 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the floor, including a 9-of-17 effort from behind the arc. Hillsdale scored at a 42.9 percent clip (27-of-63) and knocked down 11-of-25 free throw attempts.

Junior forward John Holleman (Petersburg, Va.) tossed in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead C-N, while junior guard Antonia Sullivan (Louisville, Ky.) pitched in 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Freshman Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) added 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

Brent Eaton fired in a game-high 21 points to lead Hillsdale, while Brad Guinane netted 16 points and pulled down 17 rebounds.

The Eagles got off to a strong start as they built a 6-0 lead to open the contest. The teams then played through six lead changes and one tie the rest of the half. Sullivan drilled a pair of 3-pointers to give C-N a 37-31 lead with 1:14 left, but Eaton answered with a three to trim the Eagles' lead to 37-34 heading into the locker room.

A 3-pointer from Tim Dezelski gave Hillsdale a 45-40 lead at the 13:27 mark of the second half, but C-N went on a 6-0 run capped off by a Kevin Leatherwood (Charlottesville, Va.) layup to give the Eagles a 46-45 lead.

But Hillsdale responded with its decisive 21-8 run to take the lead for good and build a 66-54 lead.

The Eagles return to the hardwood on Friday, Nov. 26 against Hiwassee in the Lincoln Memorial Classic. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.