Eagles battle Bears Saturday
JEFFESON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (15-4, 8-3 SAC) may be a little revenge-minded Saturday when Lenoir-Rhyne (14-5, 7-4 SAC) steps on to the Holt Fieldhouse hardwood Saturday for go-around number two with the Eagles. L-R handed C-N its first loss of the season back on Dec. 1 with a 69-57 win. The 57 points are still the fewest the Eagles have put up all season - the only sub 60-point game of the year.
JEFFESON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman (15-4, 8-3 SAC) may be a little revenge-minded Saturday when Lenoir-Rhyne (14-5, 7-4 SAC) steps on to the Holt Fieldhouse hardwood Saturday for go-around number two with the Eagles.
L-R handed C-N its first loss of the season back on Dec. 1 with a 69-57 win. The 57 points are still the fewest the Eagles have put up all season - the only sub 60-point game of the year. The Eagles coughed it up 22 times in that game, the Eagles hadn't reached the 20-turnover plateau before that game and haven't seen it since.
"Revenge isn't the right word, we just both understand that we're battling for a top four spot for postseason purposes," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "They're a very good team that beat us soundly the first time around. We've just got to go out and compete and do what we do."
Carson-Newman will have to contend with two-time SAC player of the week Denzel Dillingham who scored 28 against C-N the first time out, but comes off a nine-point effort in a 69-57 loss at home to Wingate.
"They're going to be better on both sides of the ball, but so are we," Benson said. "They've made some strides. It'll still be a great challenge for us and it'll take our absolute best to pick up a win."
The Eagles rest a game in front of L-R in the SAC standings in fourth. C-N is a game back of first, which is shared by LMU, Wingate and Anderson – who all have 9-2 conference records.
But where the Eagles are in the standings doesn't have any bearing on the Eagles prep.
"We don't focus on momentum," Benson said. "Our kids are more confident game by game. But regardless of what happens, we wake up and prepare and take L-R as another game."
Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) and Antoine Davis continue to be among the top five scorers in the SAC. Davis is second with 18.9 points per game while Sanders is tied with Dillingham with 17.4 a contest. Freshman Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.) has entered himself into the scoring conversation. The 6-5 forward is averaging 10.2 points per game over the Eagles last five contests.
Carson-Newman and L-R tip at 4 p.m. Saturday. Coverage on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network begins at 3:45 p.m. with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff on ESPN Radio The Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com.
-CN-
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