Turnovers undo Eagles upset bid at No. 5 Anderson
ANDERSON, S.C. – Carson-Newman (13-9, 8-8 South Atlantic Conference) limited fifth-ranked Anderson (21-1, 15-1 SAC) to season lows for scoring and shooting percentage, but C-N coughed up 20 turnovers in a 60-52 Trojan win Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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28 | 24 | 52 |
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25 | 35 | 60 |
VIDEO: Chuck Benson Interview
ANDERSON, S.C. – Carson-Newman (13-9, 8-8 South Atlantic Conference) limited fifth-ranked Anderson (21-1, 15-1 SAC) to season lows for scoring and shooting percentage, but C-N coughed up 20 turnovers in a 60-52 Trojan win Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson sweeps the season series with the Eagles. The Trojans have won 16 straight home games, the fourth-longest active streak in the country. C-N's three-game win streak came to and end with the loss.
"I think it's above 95 percent, our road wins when we outrebound, out free throw, and hit targets with stops defensively," head coach Chuck Benson said. "If you told me before the game, this is what you were going to do, and oh, by the way, they're only going to make eight threes, I would have lost a lot of money on that bet. What I didn't anticipate was our high volume turnovers and our controllable mistakes we made. It's easy to say we didn't score the ball well, but today's loss goes back to one simple thing – 20 turnovers."
Carson-Newman held the Trojans to 33.3 percent shooting, and 8-of-28 from beyond the arc. The first figure is the first time this season the Trojans, the league's number two offense, has been kept below 38 percent shooting. The 60 points scored were also a season-low.
However, the Eagles also couldn't pass offensive muster. C-N turned it over 20 times, leading to a 29-12 advantage for the Trojans in points off turnovers. Nearly half of Anderson's points came off C-N giveaways. Anderson had 12 steals.
"We have to be better than that," Benson said. "It's one of those elements of the game that can trump any other positive you have. We were just high volume today. That's disappointing for sure."
Carson-Newman shot 36.4 percent from the field. The Eagles were a paltry 5-of-18 from the field (27.8 percent) after halftime.
Carson-Newman led 28-25 at the break, before Anderson outscored them 35-24 in the second half. The loss is the first this season for Carson-Newman in a game where it has either led by double digits or been ahead at the break.
Anderson outscored C-N 19-4 over a nine-minute stretch spanning the halftime break to turn an 11-point deficit into a lead the Trojans would not relinquish.
Carson-Newman outrebounded Anderson 38-35, just the fourth time AU has been outrebounded this season.
Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) led C-N with 26 points. He was the Eagles' only double-digit scorer. Rylan Houck (Oxford, Ala.) and Keliese Frye (Newport, Ky.) reset their career highs for rebounds with 13 and 11, respectively.
Rashawn Inglemon led Anderson with 17 points. He was 5-of-14 from the field, but 4-of-6 from three. Kaydn Dawkins added in 16 points, while Osmar Garcia had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
"I've seen things that make me optimistic," Benson said. "We don't want to be the team that talks about lessons. We want to name and define those lessons and let them impact improvement. Ultimately, by Sunday, this game is in the rearview, and everything will be based on our game with LMU."
Carson-Newman heads to Harrogate Wednesday. Tipoff with Lincoln Memorial is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 7:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A live look of the ESN crew working on press row with the call of the game can be found on YouTube.
Team Stats
#5 Anderson (S.C.)
| Game Statistics | Carson-Newman | #5 Anderson (S.C.) |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (16-44) | (19-57) |
| Field Goal % | 36.4% | 33.3% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 35 |
| Assists | 6 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 29 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 7 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 3 |
