No. 11 C-N returns to Holt for penultimate home outing
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second to last time during the regular season, 11th-ranked Carson-Newman hits the hardwood at Holt Fieldhouse hosting Mars Hill Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference play looking to extend its home winning streak.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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16 | 12 | 20 | 13 | 61 |
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25 | 25 | 31 | 18 | 99 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – For the second to last time during the regular season, 11th-ranked Carson-Newman hits the hardwood at Holt Fieldhouse hosting Mars Hill Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference play looking to extend its home winning streak.
Carson-Newman (13-1, 13-1) has rattled off 10 home victories in a row since losing in double overtime to No. 20 Anderson on Feb. 1, 2020 on a buzzer beater, the ninth time in school history the program has a double-digit home winning string. Eight of the 10 games have been decided by double figures with the unit winning by an average of 20 points. The Orange and Blue are averaging 90 points per game over that time.
The string ranks 16th in the country and the fourth-longest in the region behind North Georgia (34), Lander (22) and Barton (14). Newberry has the next longest streak among SAC schools at five in a row. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, the Lady Eagles are 55-9 at home with two overtime losses and no loss margin greater than six points.
Through six home contests, the Orange and Blue are shooting 51 percent from the field and have scored 62 and 58 points in the paint over the last two. C-N has shot at least 50 percent in each of the last three home affairs averaging 95 points per game (285 total) and shooting 53 percent from the field, 111-for-210.
The two clubs are facing off for the 72nd affair as C-N is leading Mars Hill 54-18 behind nine straight wins and 16 of the last 17. During the current nine-game winning streak, C-N has scored no fewer than 86 points winning by at least 19 and as many as 63 for an average of 46 per game. Mincey's crew has eclipsed triple digits in four of the last seven.
The lone blemish in this recent stretch came at Stanford Arena on Feb. 3, 2016, an 83-82 comeback win for the Lions. However, the Lady Eagles have dominated at home winning 30 of the 36 meetings with an 8-1 mark under Mincey. C-N has won eight straight at home over Mars Hill having not dropped a contest since Jan. 18, 2012, an 87-78 setback. Each victory has come by double figures with the team posting an average of 111 points in the last three winning them all by at least 60.
When the teams met in the Tar Heel State on Jan. 18, Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) scored 33 points and added 10 rebounds in an 87-68 win going 12-for-14 from the field. The Lady Eagles built a 24-point halftime lead but turned the ball over 20 times in the second half.
Over the last four years, Mars Hill is 9-88 overall with a 5-73 record in SAC play. Three of the conference victories have come against Queens. The Lions have dropped three in a row since beating Lenoir-Rhyne at home 75-71 on Feb. 8.
Mars Hill has lost 18 consecutive road games, the ninth-longest drought in the country. The last victory came at Bluefield State on Dec. 2, 2019, a 73-55 triumph. In conference affairs, the streak is 29 games in a row since winning at Queens by one, 80-79, on Feb. 17, 2018.
On the road this season, the Lions have lost seven of the eight games by double digits with three by 30-plus points. The team is averaging 59 points and shooting 36 percent from the field with 19 turnovers per game.
Overall this year, the Lions rank last in the league and fifth-worst in the country in scoring defense giving up 84 points per game while being beaten by an average of 20 points per game. Teams are shooting 44 percent from the field and outrebounding the club by over eight boards per night.
De'Ja Marshall continues to be consistent ranking second in the league behind Wykle in scoring at 20 points per outing snatching a dozen rebounds and 35 steals. Her nine double-doubles this year are good for fifth in Division II. In the first meeting, she had 27 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Fans can enjoy a night of basketball for free on the Eagle Sports Network. If residents of the Lakeway region want to kick back to listen to the radio they can flip on The Mountain 106.3 WPFT-FM. For those outside of the area, a high definition video stream and an audio option is available on cneagles.com/live beginning at 5:15 p.m. with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off".
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Team Stats
Mars Hill
#11 Carson-Newman
| Game Statistics | Mars Hill | #11 Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-62) | (40-78) |
| Field Goal % | 38.7% | 51.3% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 49 |
| Assists | 10 | 29 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 9 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 4 | 15 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 18 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 20 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 25 |
