Late run, Zhao three carry Carson-Newman past UVA Wise
December 10, 2022

Late run, Zhao three carry Carson-Newman past UVA Wise

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a game that featured six ties and a whopping 26 lead changes, Carson-Newman (7-2, 2-0 South Atlantic Conference) used an 8-0 run, a 2:48 UVA Wise (6-3, 0-2 SAC) scoring drought and a John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) three to rally in the final 90 seconds and secure a 17th straight win in the series with UVA Wise Saturday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.

VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview

VIDEO: Highlights

VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview

VIDEO: John Zhao Interview

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In a game that featured six ties and a whopping 26 lead changes, Carson-Newman (7-2, 2-0 South Atlantic Conference) used an 8-0 run, a 2:48 UVA Wise (6-3, 0-2 SAC) scoring drought and a John Zhao (Sevierville, Tenn.) three to rally in the final 90 seconds and secure a 17th straight win in the series with UVA Wise Saturday afternoon in Holt Fieldhouse.

"I told our guys after the under-eight media that I could since that Wise was so hungry, that if we didn't match or exceed their hunger, then shame on us," Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "Our guys defended in a really sound way that last 7:30 minutes and converted shots and free throws. I was pleased with the way we finished when it came to winning time."

UVA Wise led Carson-Newman 72-68 with 3:52 to play following a Calen Lightford three with the shot clock expiring from the top of the key.  Ren Dyer cut the deficit to one with a knifing layup with 2:50 to play. 

Carson-Newman got two stops before getting the ball into Zhao's hands for the go-ahead bucket with 84 seconds left. 

"My teammates trust in me to take that shot," Zhao said. "Last time they trusted me (against Columbus State) and I didn't seal the deal. They still trusted in me. So it goes with them, and it goes with God for giving me the ability."

Luke Brenegan (Greenville, S.C.) drew help defense when he penetrated and before kicking to Zhao in the corner to give the Eagles a 76-74 lead.  The shot is the second three Zhao has made in the final 90 seconds of a game this year to give C-N a lead for good (Clayton State is the other). 

"That's the third time he has taken a shot late in a game in a critical situation and he's 2-for-3 on those," Benson said. "He works hard and has a ton of confidence. Our team wants him to get those kind of shots. I'm glad he was able to find one, because they were hard to come by today.  When we got that lead, I think our guys sensed the ability to get stops and get to the line where we were able to finish it out."

Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) delivered the death blow after a stop on the ensuing possession.  Thomas hit an and-one leaner and converted his free throw to put the Eagles up five.  Zhao put the icing on the cake with two free throws with 16 seconds left. 

Carson-Newman weathered a three-point barrage from UVA Wise in the game. The country's sixth-most efficient three-point shooting team connected on 15-of-31 threes (48.4 percent).  However, Carson-Newman clamped down on the interior. Wise made 11-of-34 shots inside the arc (32.3 percent). 

"Pure and simple, we wanted them to beat us with the three," Benson said. "They shot them well. I think they found and took advantage of our mistakes, and that's a credit to them. When we were sound, they struggled to get clean looks. We need to find ways to avoid those breakdowns from happening.

"When push came to shove late though, we found a lineup that was comfortable with getting stops. Of their 15 makes, I would say half of them came off our breakdowns. Our team is not yet playing its best basketball. We will continue to improve and iron out the wrinkles. Kudos goes to them for capitalizing on our defensive miscues. Inevitably, we wanted to limit variety of the opponent's scoring, and to some degree we did that today."

The inverse was true for Carson-Newman. C-N only shot 6-of-17 from deep (35.3 percent), albeit 3-of-5 in the second half.  Meanwhile, Carson-Newman converted on 24-of-40 shots from two (60 percent). C-N outscored the Cavs in the paint 40-20.

Six Eagles finished in double digits led by Brenegan's 16, the second time this year that six players have had 10 or more. He was an efficient 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from range. He dished out seven assists. 

"We got from Luke exactly what we needed," Benson said. "He was an old veteran competing today. Ren and Bryant had really important second halves. So many guys added value today."

Ren Dyer (Weaverville, N.C.) and Bryant Thomas (Charlotte, N.C.) both added in 13 points.  Thomas had 11 of his points after halftime, while Dyer had four boards and three assists in the second stanza.  Zhao also added in 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting, with a 2-of-4 mark from long range. 

Monty Johal (Springfield, Mo.) posted 10 of his 12 points in the first half on 5-of-10 shooting.  Tyler Bowens (Greenville, S.C.) had 10 points, his second double-digit effort this season, and pulled down a game-high six boards. 

All five starters for UVA Wise finished in double figures, led by Luke Lawson and his 19 points.  He also had four boards and seven assists.  The league's second-leading scorer Bradley Dean had 17 points, albeit on 5-of-13 shooting, to go with six assists.  He and Lawson were both 4-of-7 from three-point range. 

Lightford and Rron Ukaj each posted 13, while Ben Bryson added 10. Everyone who started for UVA Wise made a three, and did so at a 45 percent clip or better. 

Carson-Newman is back at home Wednesday against Mars Hill. Tipoff with the Lions is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network starts at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Talk 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.   

 

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