Sanders lifts Eagles past Lenoir-Rhyne, 65-57
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Freshman guard Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) fired in a game-high 22 points to lead the Carson-Newman men's basketball team to a 65-57 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Freshman guard Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) fired in a game-high 22 points to lead the Carson-Newman men's basketball team to a 65-57 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse.
Sanders was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to help the Eagles improve to 10-12 on the season and 7-7 in the conference. Lenoir-Rhyne drops to 2-20 overall and 1-13 in SAC play.
The Eagles shot 48.7 percent (19-of-39) from the floor, including a 10-of-18 effort in the second half. Lenoir-Rhyne shot just 35.4 percent (23-of-65) on the night and was just 5-of-21 from deep. Both teams finished with 32 rebounds.
Junior guard Bradley Tumer (Mt. Dora, Fla.) pitched in 15 points and four assists for C-N, while senior center Brandon Evans (Salem, Va.) added seven points, six rebounds and three blocks. Erwin Staten (Huntsville, Ala.) tossed in seven points in the win.
Jeff Thomas (Chapel Hill, N.C.) tallied 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to pace the Bears. Alex Watkins (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in 12 points, while Allan Jones (Clemmons, N.C.) finished with 10 points.
The Eagles jumped out to an 11-3 lead early on behind four points from Tumer. After the Bears trimmed C-N's lead to 13-9 on a 3-pointer by R.J. McClure (Canton, N.C.), the Eagles outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 16-9 to close out the half. Sanders knocked down three free throws with 1:11 remaining to give C-N a 29-18 lead heading into the locker room.
C-N took its biggest lead of the game to open the second half at 31-18 on a layup by Kevin Leatherwood (Charlottesville, Va.).
However, the Bears answered with a 15-5 run capped off by an Alex Watkins (Charlotte, N.C.) layup with 13:24 left to pull to within 36-33. The C-N pushed its lead back to nine points with a 6-0 run, but Lenoir-Rhyne scrapped back and cut the Eagles' lead to 44-42 with 8:05 remaining.
But that would be as close as the Bears could get, as the Eagles went 8-for-10 at the charity stripe during the last minute to seal the win.
The Eagles return to the hardwood on Wednesday at home against Mars Hill. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.
