Lady Eagles visit #23 Coker in Hartsville
January 3, 2025

Lady Eagles visit #23 Coker in Hartsville

Two of the top teams in the South Atlantic Conference standings meet when No. 15/6 Carson-Newman (11-1, 8-1 SAC) visits the Deloach Center and No. 23 Coker (11-1, 7-1 SAC) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Two of the top teams in the South Atlantic Conference standings meet when No. 15/6 Carson-Newman (11-1, 8-1 SAC) visits the Deloach Center and No. 23 Coker (11-1, 7-1 SAC) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Carson-Newman is first in the SAC, sporting an 8-1 league record. It holds a half game edge on both Coker and Wingate who are each 7-1 in the league. Similar to C-N, Coker's only league loss came on the road against Anderson.

The Lady Eagles have dominated the all-time series with Coker, having won 17 of the 20 meetings. Carson-Newman has won eight of the nine meetings in Hartsville including the past seven trips.

For the second time in the past three games, Carson-Newman will face a ranked team on the road. Carson-Newman will get its second crack at a win over a ranked team. The Lady Eagles are 21-23 all-time against nationally ranked teams and have defeated a ranked squad each of the last nine years. Of the 21 ranked victories, eight have come on the road but C-N has dropped is last seven games against ranked teams on the road.

Carson-Newman is coming off its largest margin of victory in a game this season, defeating Glenville State 114-64 on New Year's Day. It was the most points scored in a game since 2019 and tied for the fifth-most points scored in a game in school history. C-N dished out 37 assists and shot 64.8 percent from the field, both marks are second-most all-time in program history. The Lady Eagles made 46 baskets, the second most in a game in the past 25 seasons.

The fifth-best scoring offense in the country at 84.9 points per game, leads DII in assists per game at 21.1, while also holding the fifth-best assist to turnover ratio at 1.32. Defensively, C-N forces 23 turnovers per game and leads the conference in steals per game with 12.9.

Lindsey Taylor (Maryville, Tenn.) is eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,418 career points. She is 36 points away from passing Karen Miracle for seventh-most in program history. Campbell Penland's (Sevierville, Tenn.) 1,180 career points is 21st in school history. She is just 11 points from passing Kailyn Brooks on the scoring list. Penland ranks first in the South Atlantic Conference in three-pointers made (35), three-point percentage (44.9) and three-point pointers made per game (2.7).

Coker is off to one of the program's best starts ever, having won 11 of its first 12 games. The Cobras enter this ranked matchup on a four-game winning streak and is ranked by the WBCA for the first time this season. Melissa Devore's team will be eyeing their second ranked win of the year, after defeating #25 UNC Pembroke back on November 9, 64-52. Eight of Coker's 11 wins have come by double-digits.

"Melissa (Devore) has done a great job down there," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "I'm glad they finally got into the top 25 because they deserve it. They are defending at a high level and it's a tough place to play going down there. It's going to be a good battle."

Dating back to last season, Coker has won nine straight home games, the 14th longest active home winning streak in DII.

Shawnteanna Tillman averages a team-high 16.3 points per game, the fifth-best scoring mark in the SAC. Mya Wasswa and Dasia Ferguson also average double-figures in scoring, at 13.7 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Six of their top eight scorers from last season returned this year.

Coker is second behind Carson-Newman in steals per game at 12.2. They are excellent at getting to the free throw line, second in the league in both free throw attempts and makes.

Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Cobras is set for 2 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.

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