JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman University Men's Basketball Team (20-8, 15-7 SAC) securely seated itself as the number three team in the South Atlantic Conference as the Eagles defeated Emory & Henry University (6-20, 4-18 SAC) in conference play Wednesday evening inside Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles saw five different players score in double figures on their way to the 91-73 win.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Carson-Newman 91, Emory & Henry 73
LOCATION – Jefferson City, Tennessee
VENUE – Holt Fieldhouse
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (6-20, 4-18 SAC); Carson-Newman (20-8, 15-7 SAC)
How It Happened
- Both teams looked to push the tempo from the opening tip as they filled up the bucket early on. The Eagles held a 15-10 lead at the first media timeout, but a quick 8-2 run capped off by a layup from senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) pushed the Wasps ahead for the first time at 18-17 with 12:12 to play in the opening half. Carson-Newman responded over the following four minutes with an 18-8 spurt to retake the lead 35-26 at the 7:51 mark. The Eagles pushed their lead out to as many as 14 with 4:33 remaining, but the Wasps slowly battled back and a layup from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) cut the deficit to four in the waning seconds. A three at the buzzer gave C-N the 51-44 advantage heading into the half. Junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) paced E&H offensively in the first as he was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 3-for-3 from long range.
- The Eagles came out firing to begin the second half as they scored the first nine points, forcing an Emory & Henry timeout. The Wasps continued to fight throughout the second stanza as they managed to reduce the deficit to eight on multiple occasions, but could not get any closer. Carson-Newman saw their lead reach as many as 21 as they earned the South Atlantic Conference victory by a 91-73 final scoreline.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Curley finished with a career-high 20 points, on six made threes, two rebounds and an assist to lead the way for the Wasps. Leftwich added 17 points, a season-high nine assists, four rebounds and a steal in the losing effort.
- Dixon posted 13 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists while sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) had eight points, four assists, one rebound and a steal.
Carson-Newman Individual Leaders
- Trey Hubbard recorded a game-high 21 points, nine assists, three rebounds and a steal while Nick Brenegan went for 19 points, three assists and a pair of rebounds.
- Braden Ilic registered 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals for the Eagles. Jack Browder had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.
A Deeper Look
- Carson-Newman shot a scorching 62.1% (36-for-58) from the field and were 11-for-22 (50%) from beyond the three-point arc. The Wasps finished 29-for-68 (42.6%) overall and 34.4% (11-for-32) from long range.
- Neither team visited the free throw stripe with frequency as the Eagles were 8-for-8 compared to 4-for-5 for E&H.
- The Wasps took care of the basketball as they committed just seven miscues on the night. The Eagles were forced into turning the ball over on 11 occasions.
- C-N held a 46-32 advantage in the painted area and outscored E&H by a 17-4 margin on the fastbreak.
- The Emory & Henry bench was effective as they posted 27 points while the Carson-Newman reserves went for 19 points.
Up Next
- The Wasps wrap up the road portion of their SAC schedule on Saturday when they make the trip to South Carolina to take on the Trojans of Anderson (S.C.) University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m from the Abney Athletic Center.
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