Lady Eagles roll past Catawba, 70-56

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman women's basketball team jumped out to an early double-digit lead en route to a 70-56 victory over Catawba on Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse.

C-N led by as many as 12 points in the first half and 22 points in the second half on its way to a second straight win.

The Lady Eagles improve to 8-12 on the season and 4-6 in the conference. Catawba falls to 11-9 overall and 5-5 in SAC play.

C-N shot 45 percent (27-of-60) from the floor while holding Catawba to 28 percent shooting (21-of-75). The Lady Eagles held a decisive 32-18 advantage in points in the pain and outrebounded the Indians 46-45.

Sophomore forward Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) led the way down low with 19 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Freshman forward Shannon Depew (Newport, Tenn.) filled the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assist and three blocks, while senior guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C.) had 14 points and five rebounds. Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds, and Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) finished with eight points.

Johnna Foster (Huntersville, N.C.) paced Catawba with 12 points, while Dana Hicks (York, S.C.) netted 11 points and eight rebounds.

The teams played through one tie and four lead changes during the first five minutes of action, but a layup by Miles and the 14:54 mark gave C-N the lead for good at 10-8. Miles basket sparked a 12-0 run that was capped off by a 3-pointer by Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.) with 11:02 remaining to give the Lady Eagles a 20-8 advantage.

Catawba answered with a 10-4 run to pull to within 24-18 at the 6:07 mark, but C-N pushed its to 11 on a 3-pointer by Moore two minutes late, and the Lady Eagles took a 36-27 lead into the locker room.

C-N opened the second half on a 19-8 run to put the game away. Depew finished off the decisive run with a 3-pointer at the 10:53 mark to give the Lady Eagles a 57-35 cushion. Catawba was only able to pull closer than nine points the rest of the way.

The Lady Eagles return to action on Wednesday as they host Brevard College. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.