Lady Eagles Come Out On Top At Wingate
Jan. 14, 2009
WINGATE, N.C. – Mandy Mendenhall scored a career-high 28 points Tuesday night to lead Carson-Newman to a thrilling 95-93 come-from-behind victory over Wingate in South Atlantic Conference action at Cuddy Arena.
Mendenhall was 10-of-15 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. She also pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.
Three other Lady Eagles reached double-figures, led by Lindsey Eggleston with 16 points and eight rebounds. Ashley Kyle contributed 13 points and Angela Volentine 12.
Kurie Washington paced Wingate with 22 points, while Anna Atkinson was right behind her with 21. Stefani Shuey tossed in 13 points, followed by Stacey Rhodes and C.C. Brooks with 10 apiece.
Carson-Newman shot 48% from the field, including 12-of-25 from behind the arc. Wingate hit at a 43% rate. The Lady Eagles held a dominating 57-37 advantage in rebounding, which helped make up for the 26 turnovers they committed.
Carson-Newman started the game slowly, falling behind by double-digts just over seven minutes into the first half.
Mendenhall drained a three-pointer at the halfway mark of the frame to cut the deficit to 25-21, and a jumper by Ashley Tipton soon after made it 29-27.
The rest of the half belonged to Wingate, however. Atkinson followed with eight consecutive points, and the Lady Bulldogs eventually built their cushion to 49-34 at the break.
The Lady Eagles quickly got the margin back to within single digits in the second half, scoring seven unanswered points in the opening 1:04, but Wingate answered with a 9-3 run to move back out in front by 14.
The next Carson-Newman run would get the visitors back in the game for good. A three-pointer by Tipton started a 12-0 stretch for the Lady Eagles that was capped by five straight points from Mendenhall. A trey by Kyle at the 12:44 mark gave C-N the lead at 63-63.
The remainder of the contest was neck-and-neck, with neither team going in front by more than five points the rest of the way. Carson-Newman led by three with 20 seconds remaining, when Wingate was called for an offensive foul.
Eggleston walked to the other end and sank of pair of free throws to make the score 95-90 with 18 seconds left.
Carson-Newman will return home this Saturday to host rival Tusculum, the fourth-ranked team in NCAA Division II. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.
