C-N overwhelms No. 14 Coker for 27-point win
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With 5:44 to play in the second quarter, Carson-Newman (16-4, 12-2 SAC) trailed 27-20 to No. 14 Coker (16-4, 11-3 SAC). Over the final 25:16, the Lady Eagles would outscore the Cobras 67 to 33 to run away with a sixth straight win on Friday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
21 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 60 |
|
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15 | 20 | 30 | 22 | 87 |
VIDEO: Keeleigh Rogers Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With 5:44 to play in the second quarter, Carson-Newman (16-4, 12-2 SAC) trailed 27-20 to No. 14 Coker (16-4, 11-3 SAC). Over the final 25:16, the Lady Eagles would outscore the Cobras 67 to 33 to run away with a sixth straight win on Friday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
The first 14 plus minutes belonged to the Cobras. They broke up a back and forth start by doing on a 8-0 scoring run to help gain a six-point lead after the first stanza. That lead jumped out to seven just four minutes into the second quarter, but C-N closed the half on a 15-4 scoring run to lead by four and they would never look back.
"I knew we would have to take that first punch and withstand it," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "One thing we talk about with the team is why do we even stress, it is a 40-minutes basketball game and fatigue will set in and its hard to keep that pressure up for 40 minutes. Once we found the bottom of the net, you see what happened over the final three quarters. Especially that third quarter and that's been our best quarter all year. When we get stops and then scores, the energy level on our team just goes through the roof."
Carson-Newman started the third quarter on a 17-4 scoring run to open up a 17-point advantage with 4:06 left in the third. C-N had another mini 7-0 burst which helped elevate the lead out to 65-42 entering the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was more of the same. Coker scored the first three points of the fourth, before watching the five different Lady Eagles rattle off 12 straight points to grow the margin to 34 with seven minutes left. That 12-0 scoring run was the final punch C-N needed to deliver in order to collect the 27-point home win.
Carson-Newman extends its home winning streak to 15 games. It has won all eight this season and six straight by double digits.
The Lady Eagles also collected their third win of the year over a ranked team and a sixth straight win over a ranked team at home.
Over the final three quarters of basketball, made 54 percent of its shots, nine three-pointers and turn the ball over just four times. On the flipside, Coker was 27 percent from the field, missed all of its three-pointers and committed 11 turnovers.
For the game, Carson-Newman's 87 points is the most Coker's defense has allowed in a game this season and C-N's 49.2 percent shooting is the second-highest against the Cobras this season.
"We knew it would be difficult at times on offense and they would try to take our three ball away," Mincey said. "They had (Shawnteanna) Tillman guarding Jenn (Sullivan) all over the place and it was hard to get her involved at first. If they're going to take away that, they're going to have to give something else up. I thought Emily (Gonzalez) was the key go to start that out and Nucks (Mattie Nuckolls) got downhill a little bit as well and then Caroline (Hill) came off the bench and did so as well."
Five Lady Eagles scored in double-figures, but two of them had superb days on both ends of the floor. Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) made six of her 11 shots to score 16 points, grab nine rebounds and dish out two assists. Defensively, she recorded season highs in blocks with six and in steals with three. Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.), her starting frontcourt mate, finished with her second career double-double going for an efficient 13 points and 12 rebounds while also dishing out a season-high seven assists. She also recorded a steal and a block.
"They were huge in this game," Mincey said. "If you add up all those numbers, it's going to be super-efficient and they are really good defenders. They work well together and they just know how to play basketball. In today's game, they understood the scout, the personnel of who they are playing against. I thought they did a really good job of making things tough for Coker and force tough shots."
Three guards were C-N's other double-digit scorers. Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 19 points on eight of 13 shooting. She drilled three triples as well. Off the bench, Caroline Hill (Kingsport, Tenn.) scored 16 points and made six of her 11 shots a was a +31 on the floor. Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) rounded out the five double-digit scorers, finishing her day with 15 points and four assists.
6⃣th straight ranked win at home
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 30, 2026
5⃣Lady Eagles scored in double-figures
2⃣nd career double-double for @keeleighrogers
C-N stays tied for first-place in the @SAC_Athletics ✅@CNwbasketball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/AMHbGlgohA
C-N lost the battle on the glass 43-40 and 16-7 on the offensive side, but limited Coker's second chance baskets. The Cobras scored just nine second chance points on those offensive rebounds.
Janay Legagneur was one of a couple bright spots for Coker. She scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.
C-N's defense held the conference's reigning player of the year to just 13 points on five of 20 shooting.
Carson-Newman is back in action next Wednesday at UVA Wise. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Highland Cavaliers 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. Fans can also watch the ESN crew call the game on press row with a feed available on YouTube.
Team Stats
#14 Coker
| Game Statistics | #14 Coker | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-70) | (32-65) |
| Field Goal % | 32.9% | 49.2% |
| Rebounds | 43 | 40 |
| Assists | 7 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 42 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 11 | 15 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 24 |
