JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman shot better than 62 percent on the night to upend Anderson, as the Trojans wrapped up their two-game road swing with a 66-52 setback to the Eagles in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball Wednesday night at Holt Fieldhouse.
Anderson was unable to overcome a pair of scoring droughts - one in each half - as the Trojans dropped to 8-11 overall and 4-9 in conference action with its fourth consecutive loss. Carson-Newman improved to 9-10 overall and 7-6 in the league by snapping a two-game home losing streak.
The Trojans were 18-of-44 (40.9 percent) from the field on the night, but Carson-Newman scorched the nets at a 66.7 percent clip in the second half by connecting on 14-of-21 attempts. The Eagles held a 29-22 rebounding advantage, fueled by 20 offensive boards. Anderson's defense forced 14 turnovers by the Eagles, but committed 18 miscues that led to 28 Carson-Newman points.
Senior guard Nick Jackson led the Trojans with 11 points, while freshman guard Maurice Howard equaled his career high with nine points and dished out a team-best four assists. Freshmen Matthew McClain and Tre' Fields, along with senior Myson Jones each pulled down three rebounds.
Carson-Newman junior forward Carson Brooks scored a game-high 21 points, with sophomore forward Sawyer Williams adding 18 points for the Eagles. Freshman guard Charles Clark handed out a game-high six assists.
The Eagles opened the contest by connecting on three of their first four shots and one-of-two from the line, as Carson-Newman scored the first seven points of the contest as part of a 13-4 run to open the game. Sophomore center Rakish Taylor got the Trojans on the scoreboard with a layup at the 17:13 mark and McClain added a layup less than a minute later for AU's first points of the night.
Looking at the seven-point deficit, McClain added his second basket of the opening six minutes, while senior DJ McGowan followed a Brooks layup with his lone 3-pointer of the contest to trim the Carson-Newman advantage to just 15-9 with more than 14 minutes left in the first half.
Williams countered with a close jumper for the Eagles and the Trojans kept pace on Jones' 3-pointer to set the score at 17-12 at the 12:21 mark. But the Trojans then suffered through their first scoring drought of the game, as AU misfired on its next eight attempts from the field and committed four turnovers, while the Eagles built their largest lead of the frame, taking a 27-12 lead with just more than four minutes until intermission.
Howard snapped the scoreless stretch by draining a pair of free throws with 3:10 on the clock to spark a 10-5 surge by the Trojans over the remainder of the half. Following a jumper by C-N's Josh Rogers, Fields added three free throws and Jackson offset another Rogers' basket with two from the line to set the halftime score at 32-22.
Sophomore Rakish Taylor trimmed the Carson-Newman lead to single digits with his jumper to open the second half, while the Trojans countered three inside baskets by Carson-Newman with three consecutive 3-pointers, including back-to-back treys from Jackson that cut the deficit to 38-33 with 17:05 on the clock.
The Eagles rebuilt their advantage to nine on the inside strength of Williams and Brooks, but AU responded with seven unanswered points to climb within 42-40 at the 14:03 mark. But Carson-Newman answered with a quick jumper and a pair of free throws from Clark. Jackson then connected on a 3-pointer and Alani Adekambi followed a Brooks' jumper with a layup to set the score at 48-45 nearly midway through the second half.
However, the Trojans then went cold, suffering their second
scoreless stretch of the contest, as AU went nearly seven minutes
without finding the bottom of the basket. The Eagles capitalized on
the drought by steadily building its lead to 17 points late in the
contest.
Anderson will look to get back in the win column when the Trojans
open a three-game conference homestand by welcoming Newberry to the
Abney Athletic Center on Saturday. Tip-off versus the Wolves is set
for 4 p.m.
