No. 16 Carson-Newman set for opening SAC tilt with Pioneers
November 19, 2013

No. 16 Carson-Newman set for opening SAC tilt with Pioneers

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (2-0:0-0 SAC) will open up South Atlantic Conference Wednesday night at 8 against Tusculum (1-3:0-0 SAC) trying to accomplish something the Eagles haven’t done against TC since the turn of the century.

Game Notes attached

Chuck Benson pregame interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (2-0:0-0 SAC) will open up South Atlantic Conference Wednesday night at 8 against Tusculum (1-3:0-0 SAC) trying to accomplish something the Eagles haven't done against TC since the turn of the century.

Carson-Newman is angling for its first four-game win streak over the Pioneers since the Eagles won seven consecutive against Tusculum from 2000-2003. 

The Eagles are ranked 16th in the latest NABC poll, up six spots from the preseason ranking. 

However, C-N head man Chuck Benson said he knows this year's Pioneer club is vastly different from the 2012-13 iteration of the team.  Tusculum is averaging 86 points a game – fourth in the league – compared to 63 a game a year ago. The Pioneers are also hitting double their made threes a game after finishing last in the nation in made threes a game a year ago.

"If there's another team in this conference that's gone to the complete opposite spectrum of style of play, I don't know who it'd be," Benson said. "They are high energy.  They shoot quick, early and shoot a ton of threes. They are completely different."

This will be Tusculum's third straight game in Holt Fieldhouse following a pair of contests at the Carson-Newman Classic.  The Pioneers beat Trevecca Nazarene 110-106 before losing on day two to Barton 84-78.  The Pioneers put up 60 points in the first half of the win over TNU – the most for a TC team in a half since 2005. 

The contest with the Pioneers is the earliest C-N will have started conference play since the 1996-97 season.  That year, the Eagles trounced Tusculum 93-73 in the second game of the year.  However, unlike this season, the Eagles bounced back out of conference after that game. 

"There's no way to do this other than start conference play now (because of the size of our league)," Benson said. "Thankfully we've got a veteran squad and a set style of play.  I'd like to think that we have an advantage because of that right now.  But in the future? Who knows if that will be the case."

Tusculum is led by Addison Flynn. The 6-0 senior guard averages 16 points a game and his nailed 56 percent of his shots from the field and 55 percent of his shots from deep. 

Darius Carter and West Virginia State transfer Jalen Walker round out the Pioneers double-digit scorers averaging 15.3 and 14.5 points per game respectively.

"They have such a positive energy about them," Benson said. "They're not out there just going through the motions.  They are much better than their 1-3 record.  It'll take everything we have Wednesday to get the job done right."

Tipoff between the Eagles and Pioneers is set for approximately 8 p.m.  Wednesday's game as been deemed "All Blue E'rything" by the Mossy Creek Maniacs and fans are encouraged to wear as much blue-colored clothing as humanly possible to the game. 

Pregame coverage begins at approximately 7:45 when the women's game concludes with the Countdown to Tipoff on the Eagle Sports Network on 106.3 ESPN Radio the Zone (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.

-CN-

 
 
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