Second half push helps Eagles lift lid on 15-16 with win
November 13, 2015

Second half push helps Eagles lift lid on 15-16 with win

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (1-0) trailed by six at the break, but use a bevy of runs and torrid second half shooting to send Southern Wesleyan (0-1) by the wayside 83-69 Friday night at Holt Fieldhouse.

VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview

VIDEO: Charles Clark Interview

VIDEO: Carson Brooks Interview

VIDEO: Highlights

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (1-0) trailed by six at the break, but use a bevy of runs and torrid second half shooting to send Southern Wesleyan (0-1) by the wayside 83-69 Friday night at Holt Fieldhouse. 

Carson-Newman shot 16-for-25 (64 percent) and used a 13-3 and an 11-3 run to turn a double-digit deficit into a double-digit win.

For head coach Chuck Benson, Carson-Newman needed to settle down after some early jitters. 

"It's your home opener and our guys want to come out and do well," Benson said. "I was talking to some of our veteran guys before hand and was asking them if they were excited.  They were, but they were also nervous.

"I thought it was a tale of two halves because of that.  First half we were jittery and didn't click.  But the second half we put a solid 20 minutes together which gave us a chance to win."

That was evident in 10 first half turnovers that led to 14 Warrior points.  In the second half, the Eagles coughed it up seven times, but SWU failed to convert any of the miscues into scores. 

Carson-Newman turned 11 of the Warriors' 12 turnovers in 22 points.

The Eagles were led by Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.).  Clark provided his ninth career 20-point game by funneling in 26 on 6-for-10 shooting, including 11-for-12 at the line. 

Brooks scored 18 points and snatched 11 rebounds for his seventh career double-double.  Brooks also played the role of distributor, handing out five assists – a team high. 

"They did what they do," Benson said. "You look at their stat lines and it's nice, beautiful, gaudy even.  But they're both kind of disappointed in themselves because of how the team played because this was at best a 50 percent showing for us tonight."

Sawyer Williams was the third Eagle in double figures.  He had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added seven boards to boot. 

Zack Pangallo (Newport, Ky.) provided a spark off the bench for the Eagles.  He drilled three threes and nailed two in succession to push Carson-Newman on its 13-3 run in the second half. 

Zach Watson led SWU with 17 points.  He connected on 5 of his 10 three-point attempts. 

Carson-Newman outrebounded Southern Welseyan 36-23.  Carson-Newman outrebounded the Warriors 20-7 in the second half. 

The Eagles complete the Carson-Newman Classic Saturday at 7 against Lander. Coverage will be available on the Eagle Sports Network on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. 

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