No. 11/6 C-N takes high-scoring affair against Cavaliers
December 4, 2024

No. 11/6 C-N takes high-scoring affair against Cavaliers

No. 11/6 Carson-Newman (7-1, 5-1 SAC) overcame UVA Wise’s (5-4, 2-3 SAC) best three-point shooting day of the season, using a fourth quarter scoring run to get back in the win column on Wednesday evening at the Prior Convocation Center.

VIDEO: Highlights

VIDEO: Mike Mincey Interview

VIDEO: Tori Rutherford Interview

WISE, Va. – No. 11/6 Carson-Newman (7-1, 5-1 SAC) overcame UVA Wise's (5-4, 2-3 SAC) best three-point shooting day of the season, using a fourth quarter scoring run to get back in the win column on Wednesday evening at the Prior Convocation Center.

"It was an exciting ballgame," Carson-Newman women's basketball head coach Mike Mincey said. "High-scoring game that was fast paced. Credit to them, they played really well. Shot it great and typically do, but not the three-ball and they did today. We feel fortunate to be able to come out here on the road with a win. Good test for our group and I like the way they responded and how we finished the game making our free throws."

The Lady Eagles remain perfect all-time against UVA Wise, having won all 13 meetings.

Carson-Newman managed to shoot 50 percent as a team and won its 21st straight contest when shooting a higher percentage from the field than its opposition.

Four different players scored in double-figures, led by Campbell Penland (Sevierville, Tenn.) who made five of her nine shots for a team-best 17 points. Tori Rutherford (Rutledge, Tenn.) was also terrific scoring 16 points and dished out a team-high five assists. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 and 10 points. In total, seven different Lady Eagles scored eight points or more.

"In some of the other games we were relying on players to play too many minutes," Mincey said. "We needed to turn it into more of a team effort. We have some very talented players on the bench and we needed them to go out there and make some plays. It was a complete team effort."

Carson-Newman took advantage of Wise turnovers early in the contest. C-N scored four baskets off of UVA Wise's first five turnovers to grab a 14-8 lead at the 4:52 mark of the opening frame. Three straight C-N buckets after the media break pushed the lead to double-digits and helped the Lady Eagles lead by seven after the opening quarter.

The Lady Eagles' offensive effort in the second quarter came from the three-point shot. Four different players drilled three-pointers in a period in which C-N outscored UVA Wise by three to lead by ten points at halftime.

Carson-Newman has led at halftime in all eight games this season.

UVA Wise drew within seven points after five straight points, but Carson-Newman pushed the lead back to 13 points quickly. Makayla Alvey made back-to-back and Tori Rutherford had a steal and score to help C-N gain its largest lead at the 5:24 mark of the third quarter. The lead never got any higher, and both teams traded baskets throughout the rest of the third period and C-N's lead after three quarters was the same it was at halftime, 10 points.

The Cavaliers' hot shooting continued into the fourth quarter. A pair of three-point field goals helped spark an 11-0 scoring run to give UVA Wise its first lead since the first minute of the game. The Lady Eagles responded well by scoring the next five points and led 77-75 at the final media break. Five more points after the media break helped C-N go on a 10-0 scoring run.

That late run would make it a seven-point game with less than a minute to play. Rutherford and Penland combined to make seven free throws down the stretch to secure C-N's seventh win of the year.

C-N stays undefeated this season when scoring more points off turnovers than the other team. The Lady Eagles had a +9 advantage in that category and committed four less turnovers.

UVA Wise was more efficient from three-point range (9-16, 56%), but Carson-Newman made more three-pointers with 11. It's the fourth time in the past six games that C-N has made double-digit there-pointers.

Emily Gonzalez led C-N in steals with five, her fifth straight-game with three or more steals.

UVA Wise also had four players score in double-figures, led by Caroline Mullins who scored a career-high 17 points and made all three of her three-pointers.

SCORIGAMI! Tonight's final score was the 831st unique score in program history.

The Lady Eagles are back on the floor on Saturday afternoon for its final home game of 2024 versus Limestone. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.

A live stream of the contest is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/flowbb.

Game Notes Photos Audio Live stats Box Score Box Score Preview