C-N falls short at #10 Coker
Tenth-ranked Coker (6-1, 2-0 SAC) created separation in the third quarter to defeat Carson-Newman (4-3, 1-1 SAC) 64-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Deloach Center.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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15 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 56 |
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14 | 15 | 23 | 12 | 64 |
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Tenth-ranked Coker (6-1, 2-0 SAC) created separation in the third quarter to defeat Carson-Newman (4-3, 1-1 SAC) 64-56 on Saturday afternoon at the Deloach Center.
"Even though it was tied at halftime, we were still struggling to shoot a high field goal percentage," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "In the third quarter, we stuck with the zone defense and of course we were not converting on our end. It always just hurts when you can't score. Every game we've lost this year, we've shot really bad from the field. Just didn't play enough clean basketball to win on the road."
Coker has won three of the past four meetings in the series and has defended its home court in the past two matchups.
Carson-Newman had shooting woes from the start, missing its first six shots from the field. A trio of layups in 80 seconds gave the Lady Eagles their first lead of the game at the 5:37 mark of the first quarter. Coker would lead by as many as four, but C-N went on to score seven of the final nine points in the quarter to lead by one after one.
A closely contested first quarter carried into a similar second quarter. Both teams went back and fourth, with neither side leading by more than four in the first half. Three-pointers by Chloe Heath (Maryville, Tenn.) and Caroline Hill (Kingsport, Tenn.) gave C-N its biggest lead of the game at three with 2:15 to play in the first half. A pair of Coker baskets late in the half tied the score at halftime.
The first 20 minutes consisted of eight ties and seven lead changes.
Coker would surge ahead with a strong third quarter. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored one of her three baskets in the first minute of the second half to give her team the lead, but C-N would never see it again. The Cobras went on an extended 12-2 scoring ran spanning more than four minutes to lead by eight with 3:15 left in the third quarter. They would end the quarter just as strong as they started it, scoring eight of the final 10 points to push the lead to double-digits entering the final quarter.
The Cobras outscored the Lady Eagles 23-11 in the third and made five of their eight three-pointers. Coker made more three-pointers (5) than C-N made field goals (4). C-N was four of 17 from the field in the third and had a scoring drought longer than four minutes.
C-N's defense was stout to start the fourth quarter and it helped mount a surge back into the game. Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) scored seven straight points to help bring the Lady Eagles within six with four minutes to play. Mincey's team would get no closer, as Coker would take advantage of a pair of C-N miscues to score the next five points to put the game out of reach for C-N.
Career days from Heath and Nuckolls were spoiled by Coker's win. Heath scored a career-high 13 points on five of nine shooting with a pair of three-pointers to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Nuckolls was the game's leading scorer with 19 points on seven for 14 shooting and also made two threes. She contributed four rebounds and three blocks as well. This duo combined to make 12 of their 23 shots.
"They both can play the 4 and the 5 which is valuable," Mincey said. "We can play them together and when they are together it opens the paint. Chloe has played well and it's nice to see Nuckolls be efficient, going 50 percent from the field and from three. I hope we can see a lot more of that from both of them moving forward."
As a team, C-N made just 33% of its shots but was efficient from long distance. The Lady Eagles buried six of their 15 three-point attempts.
DII's best free throw shooting team had its worst day at the charity stripe, making just 10 of 17 attempts.
Carson-Newman's defense held Coker to just 37% shooting but watched the Cobras match C-N's output from three-point range also going six of 15.
Coker owned the glass for much of the day, outrebounding C-N 48-41 and 17-13 on the offensive glass.
The Cobras got elite performances from a trio of players. Kristynn Knight led her team with 18 points and missed just one shots, while also dishing out 10 assists. Kamari Thompson also recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. It's the second time this season that a C-N opponent has two players record a double-double. Shawnteanna Tillman, the reigning SAC Player of the Year finished with 17 points on 20 shots and had a game-high four steals.
Carson-Newman stays on the road, travelling to Greeneville for a rivalry matchup with Tusculum on Wednesday evening. Tipoff with the Pioneers is set for 5:30 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 5:15 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A live camera of the broadcast crew "On Press Row" will also be available on YouTube.
Team Stats
#10 Coker
| Game Statistics | Carson-Newman | #10 Coker |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-61) | (25-67) |
| Field Goal % | 32.8% | 37.3% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 48 |
| Assists | 12 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 7 | 12 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 11 |
