February 5, 2011

Eagles fall at Wingate, 71-46

WINGATE, N.C. — The Carson-Newman men's basketball team dropped a 71-46 decision to Wingate University on Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at Cuddy Arena.

The Bulldogs used a decisive 22-3 second-half run to pull away for the win and improve to 12-8 on the season and 7-5 in the conference. The Eagles fall to 9-11 overall and 6-6 in SAC play.

C-N struggled offensively as it shot just 29 percent (15-of-51) from the floor, including 4-of-21 from behind the arc. Wingate shot 43 percent (27-of-63) on the day and held a decisive 45-30 advantage on the boards.

Junior Kevin Hare (Lexington, S.C.) scored a career-high 20 points, including six 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Eagles, while freshman Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) added 10 points. Senior Brandon Evans (Salem, Va.) pitched in nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Sophomore forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) fired in a game-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Wingate. Junior Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) tossed in 15 points in the win.

The Eagles built an early 11-5 lead behind eight points from Hare, who finished the half with 12 points, but Wingate responded with a 29-9 run capped off by a Jeffrey Parker (Madison, N.C.) jumper with 2:12 remaining to give the Bulldogs a 34-20 lead. Turner had 12 points during the run to lead the way and finished the half with 14.

Sanders converted a 3-point play for the Eagles with 20 seconds left to trim Wingate's lead to 36-26 at the half.

However, Wingate put the game away by the midway point of the second half by outscoring the Eagles 22-3 to take a 58-29 lead with 11:12 remaining. The Eagles were unable to pull closer than 23 points the rest of the way.

The Eagles return to the hardwood on Wednesday at rival Tusculum College. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. in Greeneville, Tenn.