Eagles let first-half lead slip away, fall to No. 8 LMU, 90-69
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Eighth-ranked Lincoln Memorial rallied from a nine-point deficit late in the first half to beat the Carson-Newman Eagles, 90-69, on Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse. With the win, LMU improves to 17-0 on the year and 9-0 in South ATlantic Conference play, while the Eagles fall to 8-9 overall and 5-4 in league play.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Eighth-ranked Lincoln Memorial rallied from a nine-point deficit late in the first half to beat the Carson-Newman Eagles, 90-69, on Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse.
With the win, LMU improves to 17-0 on the year and 9-0 in South ATlantic Conference play, while the Eagles fall to 8-9 overall and 5-4 in league play.
Carson-Newman led by nine at the 4:17 mark of the first half before LMU turned the game on a 36-10 run to close the first half and open the second. During the stretch, the Railsplitters made 13-of-14 shots from the floor.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead behind guard Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.). The freshman connected on 3-of-5 three pointers in the first half, including three straight during a 24-10 run as the Eagles built a 32-23 lead with four minutes to play in the half.
LMU would answer with its decisive run.
Sophomore forward Desmond Johnson scored six-straight points for the Railsplitters to cut into the Eagle lead, while guard Brandon Armstrong would add a pair of three-pointers and a 17-foot jumper at the first half buzzer to give LMU a 40-36 lead at the break. LMU scored on eight of its final nine possessions in the first half.
The Railsplitters would open the second half on a 19-6 run, connecting on 7-of-8 field goals, to pull away.
Sanders led Carson-Newman with 22 points. Antonio Sullivan (Louisville, Ky.) and Kevin Leatherwood (Charlottesville, Va.) each added nine for the Eagles.
Johnson led all scores with 29 points on 12-of-18 from the floor. Armstrong added 22 points and five steals as five Railsplitters reached double figures.
Carson-Newman returns to action Saturday when it hosts Catawba College. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse.
-C-N-
