Eagles rally past Bulldogs 54-50 Wednesday night in Jefferson City

Jefferson City, Tenn.----The Carson-Newman College Eagles overcame a 16-point second half deficit to defeat the Bulldogs of Wingate University 54-50 in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action Wednesday night in Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles improve to 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the SAC, while Wingate falls to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the SAC.

Freshman forward Shannon Depew (Newport, Tenn.) had 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Junior forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) added 12 points and 10 boards for the Eagles.

Senior guard CC Brooks (Mount Holly, N.C.) had 11 points and six rebounds to lead the Wingate offense. Senior guard Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) and junior forward Simone Rutledge (Atlanta, Ga.) added eight points each for the Bulldogs. Sophomore guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.) recorded seven points and four assists.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first half, holding Carson-Newman to only one field goal in the first 11:45 of the game. Freshman guard Janitsha Williams (Statesville, N.C.) capped the spurt with a lay-up and a jumper to give the ‘Dogs an 11-point advantage. The Eagles answered with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 15-10 at the 6:51 mark.

Wingate scored the next seven points, capped by a trifecta from junior guard Tiffany Brown (Cartersville, Ga.) and two Rutledge free throws to make it 22-10 with three minutes left in the half. Carson-Newman battled back, cutting the lead to seven near intermission on a three-point play from sophomore guard Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.).
          
The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 33-19 lead at the 16:50 mark. Washington capped it with a triple and a pair of free throws. Sophomore forward Tish Logan (Suitland, Md.) knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Bulldogs their largest advantage at 38-22 with 14:10 remaining in the contest.

The Eagles had the emphatic answer, going on a 17-0 run to take a 39-38 lead at the 7:45 mark. Depew knocked down a pair of threes in the flurry, while her jumper got Carson-Newman to within one. Williams hit a pair of free throws to put the Eagles on top by one. A Shey Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) lay-up, followed by a pair of free throws from Brooks, put the ‘Dogs back on top 42-39 with under five minutes remaining in the game.

A lay-up from Zoriah Williams put the Eagles back on top 43-42. Depew drained a three pointer with three minutes to go to give Carson-Newman the lead for good. She followed with a jumper to push the lead to five at 48-43, while a jumper from senior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) gave the Eagles their largest lead of the night at 50-43. Brooks hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead back to five, but Wingate would get no closer than four the rest of the night.
          
Both teams struggled from the field Wednesday night. Carson-Newman shot 29.7 percent for the game, while the Bulldogs shot only 24.6 percent. Wingate hit 14-of-16 shots from the free throw line (87.5 percent), while the Eagles hit 11-of-14 from the charity stripe (78.6 percent). The Bulldogs converted 19 Carson-Newman turnovers into 17 points.

Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting King (Tenn.) College at 2 p.m. The Eagles return to action Dec. 29, facing Florida Tech in the Rollins (Fla.) Classic at 12 noon.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)