Lady Eagles Battle Back to Beat Tusculum 78-68
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (3-1, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) women’s basketball team made a furious second-half comeback to defeat the Tusculum Pioneers (0-2, 0-1 South Atlantic Conference) by a score of 78-68 at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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39 | 29 | 68 |
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32 | 46 | 78 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (3-1, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) women's basketball team made a furious second-half comeback to defeat the Tusculum Pioneers (0-2, 0-1 South Atlantic Conference) by a score of 78-68 at Holt Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening.
Carson-Newman never led in the first half after Tusculum began the game on a 14-2 run, and the Lady Eagles erased a seven-point halftime deficit and at one point a nine-point deficit midway in the second half only to rally back to collect the victory over their in-state rival.
"I'm just really proud of the kids tonight," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "That was a really bad first half out of our bunch so we had a nice spirited talk at the half and early in the second half we still weren't getting much done but we kept rotating players and got to their bench and our pursuit on the offensive end eventually paid off with some layups, points out of transition and that helped us finally overcome and get that lead."
Sophomore point guard Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) led Carson-Newman in scoring with 21 points, 12 of which came in the second half as she set a career-high in scoring.
"We hyped ourselves up in the locker room during halftime and we wanted to go out there and show them who we are and what Carson-Newman is all about," said McLaughlin. "We decided, 'let's win this' and it came down to team pride, school pride, and it's our first conference game."
After the Pioneers got off to their 14-2 run to start the game, Carson-Newman was kept in the contest in the first half largely due to freshman Kailyn Brooks (Lafayette, Tenn.). She hit three 3-pointers and led C-N with 11 points in the first half, and the Lady Eagles trailed 39-22 at the half.
"If we don't get those 11 points we're probably in trouble," said Mincey about Brooks, who made her collegiate debut in the game. "I was really proud of how she came in and gave us that boost and that will only make us stronger."
Carson-Newman cut the gap to two points quickly in the second half, beginning the period on a 5-0 run that included the only 3-pointer of the night from sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.). Tusculum would maintain its advantage, and at one point led 52-43 around midway in the second half.
This would spark Carson-Newman's strongest stretch of the night, a 13-0 run that saw the Lady Eagles take the lead. After Brooks cut the score to 52-52 with a 3-pointer, senior Chante' Markus (Hummelstown, Pa.) hit a 3-pointer of her own to put Carson-Newman ahead 54-56. On the next possession, Markus got a steal in the front court and slashed to the basket for a layup to give Carson-Newman a lead of 56-52.
Tusculum scored the next four points to tie the game at 56, but then Carson-Newman went on an 11-2 run and never relinquished the lead again.
Many of McLaughlin's 21 points came in the final minutes at the free throw line, helping the Lady Eagles pick up the 10-point victory on their home floor.
Markus and Brooks joined McLaughlin in double-figure scoring with 14 points each in Carson-Newman's second straight victory.
Tusculum was led in scoring by Shynese Whitener who scored 12 points, six in each half.
Carson-Newman will next play on Wednesday Nov. 23 in Hartsville, S.C., against Coker at 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be carried on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m. with "The Countdown to Tipoff," and live audio also available on www.cneagles.com.
Team Stats
Tusculum
| Game Statistics | Tusculum | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-62) | (27-59) |
| Field Goal % | 33.9% | 45.8% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 40 |
| Assists | 7 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 22 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 18 | 2 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 13 |
| Bench Pts | 10 | 39 |
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