Eagles fall at top-seeded Lincoln Memorial, 74-57, in SAC Tournament
HARROGATE, Tenn. — The eighth-seeded Carson-Newman men's basketball team held a two-point halftime lead but was unable to slow down top-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the second half, as the Railsplitters pulled away for a 74-57 victory on Wednesday in the first round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Tex Turner Arena.
HARROGATE, Tenn. — The eighth-seeded Carson-Newman men's basketball team held a two-point halftime lead but was unable to slow down top-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the second half, as the Railsplitters pulled away for a 74-57 victory on Wednesday in the first round of the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Tex Turner Arena.
With the loss, the Eagles' season comes to an end with an 11-16 record. The 12th-ranked Railsplitters (25-2) advance to the semifinals and will face the winner of the matchup between Brevard and Wingate on Saturday in Hickory, N.C.
The Eagles struggled on the offensive end in the second half, shooting just 30.8 percent. For the game, C-N shot 44.2 percent (19-of-43). The Railsplitters scored at a 45.5 percent clip (25-of-55), including a 13-of-25 effort during the final 20 minutes. Lincoln Memorial held a 34-28 advantage on the glass.
Junior Kevin Hare (Lexington, S.C.) fired in a career-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the Eagles, while junior Bradley Tumer (Mt. Dora, Fla.) added 13 points and eight assists. Freshman Ishmael Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) finished with 10 points.
D'Mario Curry (Detroit, Mich.) poured in a game-high 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to pace the Railsplitters. Cam Carden (Clearwater, Fla.) added 12 points, while Brandon Armstrong (Decatur, Ga.) netted 11 points in the win.
The Eagles had one of their best halves of the season, shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the floor during the first 20 minutes to take a 31-29 lead into the locker room.
The Railsplitters built a 20-11 lead after a 3-pointer by Carden at the 12:48 mark, but C-N outscored Lincoln Memorial 20-9 to close out the half, including 12 points from Hare.
However, Lincoln Memorial scored the first five points of the second half and never looked back. The Railsplitters led by as many as 21 points late in the half as they pulled away for the win.
