BREVARD, N.C. - Visiting Carson-Newman overcame a near record-breaking defensive performance by the Brevard College men's basketball team en route to a 78-56 win at Boshamer Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
The Tornados (5-10, 3-6 SAC) had 14 steals on the evening, tied for the second-highest single-game total in Brevard's NCAA era history. The team also had 14 steals in a game at North Greenville on November 21, 2009 and fell two steals shy of its NCAA-era record set in December of that same year at Oakland City University.
The Eagles (7-8, 5-4 SAC), however, were deadly efficient when they were able to weave through the Brevard defense without allowing a steal. Carson-Newman shot at a blistering 66.7 percent clip in the first half, knocking down 20 of its 30 field goal attempts, and was 53.3 percent from the field for the game.
The visitors put the game out of reach midway through the first half and never looked back. A Darius Moose jumper in the paint tied the score at seven before a brief 6-0 spurt by the Eagles. A Trevon Shaw layup cut the lead back to four points at 13-9 with 12:14 remaining in the first half.
Carson-Newman then scored the next 17 points in a span of just 4:01 to build a 30-9 lead before the under-eight media timeout. The Eagles were a perfect 8-for-8 from the field during the stretch and had five layups or dunks in transition that immediately followed Brevard turnovers. By the time the teams reached the 3:30 mark of the first half, the Carson-Newman run had ballooned to 34-10.
The Eagles would go on to score 30 first-half points in the paint and finished the game with 66.7 percent of their scoring coming from inside the lane. Brevard was outrebounded 48-25 and never held a lead of more than a single point. The lead hovered between 22 and 29 points for the Eagles during the entirety of the second half.
Moose was a significant bright spot in an otherwise difficult day for the Tornados. He scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and contributed an assist and a steal. Miles Leathers joined Moose in double figures with 11 points. Shaw led the team with eight rebounds, while Brayden Masten had three assists, a block, and was one of eight Tornados to record at least one steal.
Carson-Newman had four players reach double figures, led by Carson Brooks and Sawyer Williams with 16 and 15, respectively. Guard Ryan Jones had just five points, but contributed 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals for the Eagles.
Brevard will return to action on Saturday afternoon against Newberry, which is currently ranked as high as fourth in the Southeast Region (Division II Media Poll) and 20th nationally (NABC Coaches' Poll). Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
