November 17, 2012

Second Half Surge Delivers Lady Eagles 57-51 Win

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (3-1) women’s basketball team used a 16-3 run to end the game to deliver the Lady Eagles their third straight victory, a 57-51 win over the Georgia College Bobcats (1-2) in the 2012 Lady Saints Tip-Off Classic at Memorial Hall Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Carson-Newman was led in scoring for the second straight game by freshman Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) who scored 21 points and hit key free throws down the stretch for the Lady Eagles in the comeback victory.

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (3-1) women's basketball team used a 16-3 run to end the game to deliver the Lady Eagles their third straight victory, a 57-51 win over the Georgia College Bobcats (1-2) in the 2012 Lady Saints Tip-Off Classic at Memorial Hall Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Carson-Newman was led in scoring for the second straight game by freshman Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.) who scored 21 points and hit key free throws down the stretch for the Lady Eagles in the comeback victory.

"A win is a win is a win," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "That late push, maybe it's going to help us down the road. To be in a situation when it feels like nothing is going right for us and we hang around and there at the end we finally get that first lead, Tatum hits the big three and then makes her free throws down the stretch."

The Lady Eagles struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, going 1-of-9 from three-point land and shooting 20 percent from the field as the Bobcats led 29-21.

Although Carson-Newman would cut Georgia College's lead to two points midway through the second half, the Bobcats would take a 48-41 lead with just over four minutes left in the game. Carson-Newman fought back from this point on, finishing the contest on a 16-3 run to victory. Burstrom hit two free throws to tie and give Carson-Newman the lead at 49-48. On Carson-Newman's next possession she hit a key three-pointer that extended Carson-Newman's lead to 52-48 with 59 seconds left in the contest.

After two more free throws, Carson-Newman led 54-48 before Georgia College's Shanteona Keys hit a three-pointer to cut the lead in half at 54-51 with only 38 seconds left in the contest. Carson-Newman hit its necessary free throws in the final seconds to secure the 57-51 victory, extending the winning streak to three straight.

Burstrom finished her night shooting 4-of-6 from three, 5-of-9 from the field, and she was 7-of-8 at the free throw line.

Joining Burstrom in double figures scoring was senior Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) who scored 12 points and collected five rebounds in the victory. The Lady Eagles finished the contest shooting 28 percent from the field, 27 percent from three, and 82 percent at the free throw line.

Carson-Newman will next play its first home game on Tuesday Nov. 20 against Columbus State at Holt Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. Coverage on the Coca-Cola Eagle Sports Network begins with the Farm Bureau Countdown to Tipoff at 4:45 p.m. and the broadcast is also available on www.cneagles.com.