JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Brevard appeared to be every bit defending SAC Championship winner Carson-Newman's equal through the first eight minutes of Wednesday night's game at Holt Fieldhouse.
Then the Eagles' offense heated up.
Carson-Newman's 31-9 run spanning over eight minutes of the first half proved to be the difference in the Eagles' 87-60 victory in South Atlantic Conference action.
The win was not without its tense moments, however. Brevard (2-12, 1-7 SAC) carried the momentum from Evan Dunham's buzzer-beating layup into the second half, opening the frame by shooting an astounding 84.6 percent (11-for-13) from the field in the first 12 minutes. The Tornados closed the gap to as few as 12 points before Carson-Newman (8-7, 4-5 SAC) slammed the door with a 20-5 run over the final 7:32.
Demarcus Threatt led all scorers with 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including a career-best four three-point field goals. The junior guard outdueled the Eagles' Charles Clark, who led Threatt by 0.4 points per game for second in the conference in scoring coming into the contest but managed just 12 points on the evening.
Miles Leathers scored 12 points and was the only other Tornado in double figures. The senior forward needs 11 rebounds to become the only Brevard player to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals in a career. Omar El Diraoui paced the Tornados in rebounding for the second time this season, pulling down seven boards to finish one shy of matching his career high.
Brevard was unable to take advantage of Carson-Newman's tendency to turn the ball over, forcing the second-fewest turnovers of any Eagles' opponent this season. The Tornados were outpaced 22-11 in points off turnovers and saw Carson-Newman build a 29-9 advantage in bench points.
The Eagles shot 55.9 percent (19-for-34) in the first half on their way to claiming a 47-27 halftime advantage, knocking down eight triples and dishing out 16 of their 25 assists in the first 20 minutes. Carson-Neewman shot 57.6 percent for the game and made 12 of 43 shots from beyond the arc.
Brevard's second-half comeback attempt gathered steam into the middle stages of the half as the Tornados' run ballooned to 10-2, but a pair of missed free throws was followed by a Zack Pangallo layup to stretch the Eagles' lead back to 14 with 7:32 to play. After Brevard misfired on just its third field goal of the half, Pangallo extended the lead again with a triple to snuff out the Brevard run.
The Eagles had four players finish in double figures led by 16 points from forward Sawyer Williams. The junior finished 7-for-10 from the field, raising his career 61.0-percent shooting clip that ranked sixth among active Division II players entering the game.
Brevard returns to action on Saturday with a league contest at Newberry. Tipoff from Eleazer Arena is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
