Carson-Newman wraps up regular season with Wingate on Saturday
Feb. 27, 2009
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman basketball teams will host Wingate on Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse in their regular season finales.
It will also be Senior Night in Mossy Creek, as the Lady Eagles and Eagles will honor four seniors each. Tipoff for the women's game is set for 2 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 4 p.m.
Seniors Ashley Tipton (Knoxville, Tenn.), Angela Volentine (North Platte, Neb.), Lindsey Eggleston (Buena Vista, Colo.) and Tykira McDaniel (Griffin, Ga.) will be playing in their final regular season home game for the Lady Eagles.
"This has been a special senior group," Lady Eagles coach Dean Walsh said. "They've really helped establish this program to be a consistent winning team and a team to be reckoned with within the conference and within the region."
"They are the glue of this team, and that's what makes them so special. What they bring to the court daily just can't be measured, and enough can't be said about it."
Tipton, who has helped the Lady Eagles compile a 70-45 record in her four years with the program, is the school record holder in career 3-pointers made (216) and career 3-point percentage (45.6 percent).
She has averaged 9.2 points per game in 115 career games, including 91starts, and has surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, scoring 1,056 points for her career. The former Farragut standout is averaging 11.2 points and four rebounds in 26 starts this season.
"What can you say? It's almost a Cinderella story," Walsh said of Tipton. "You go from walk-on status to wearing the glass slipper. She's arguably one of the best shooters in NCAA Division II history. It's a testament to her work ethic."
Volentine, who has spent the last three seasons with the Lady Eagles after transferring from the University of Nebraska-Kearny, has averaged seven points and 4.1 rebounds per game for her career.
Eggleston has had a breakout season for the Lady Eagles, averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest. She has scored 6.1 points per game and grabbed 4.4 rebounds per contest in her three years at C-N after transferring from Nebraska-Kearny.
McDaniel, who has played three seasons for the Lady Eagles after transferring in from Savannah State, has averaged 6.9 points for her career and has been a huge contributor off the bench in 26 games for C-N this season, averaging 6.8 points and three rebounds.
The Lady Eagles (18-8, 9-6 South Atlantic Conference), which are coming off of a 93-62 win over Catawba on Wednesday, will be facing a Wingate team they defeated 95-93 on Jan. 14 behind a career-high 28 points from sophomore Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.).
C-N must defeat Wingate to secure a top four finish in the SAC and a home game to open the conference tournament. If the Lady Eagles lose, they will be forced to go on the road next Wednesday for the first round of the SAC tournament.
Wingate (17-9, 8-7) enters the contest on a roll after winning four straight games, including an 89-78 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.
In the men's game, the Eagles will be honoring seniors Jesse McMurray (Weber City, Va.), Bobby Guyton (Jesup, Ga.), Andrew Johnson (Cairo,Ga.) and Zach Hyatte (Dayton, Tenn.).
McMurray, who has averaged seven points per game in four seasons at C-N, holds the school record for career 3-pointers made with 223. He has averaged nine points per contest this season and has shot 42.5 percent (68-of-160) from behind the arc.
Guyton has played two seasons with the Eagles after transferring from Costal Georgia Community College and has averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 35 games at C-N.
Johnson, who has started 52 games in his four-year career at C-N, has averaged 6.2 points for his career. He is having his best season statistically this year, scoring 9.5 points per game and averaging 2.4 steals.
Hyatte, a transfer from Walters State Community College, has averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in two seasons at C-N.
The Eagles (6-20, 3-12) are coming off a 92-84 loss to Catawba on Wednesday and will be looking to snap a 10-game losing streak on Saturday against a Wingate squad that beat them 87-74 on Jan. 14.
Wingate (12-14, 8-7) has won five out of its last seven games but enters the contest coming off a 76-73 overtime loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday.
