Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----The number 20 Carson-Newman Eagles (22-5 overall, 11-5 SAC) placed six players in double figures as they sealed third place in the South Atlantic Conference regular season Saturday, defeating Wingate (14-13, 7-9 SAC) by a score of 76-65 at Cuddy Arena.

Senior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) had 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Eagles in all three categories. Wingate senior forward/center Erica Crumlin (Irmo, S.C.) gave the home fans a memorable farewell performance with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Crumlin was the only Bulldog to reach double-digit points Saturday. 

The contest was tied at 2-2 and 5-5; the Eagles never trailed Saturday. Carson-Newman junior guard Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.) hit two three-pointers during a critical opening stretch that saw the visitors turn the 5-5 tie into a 22-11 lead with 12:43 to go in the opening frame.

Crumlin hit a jumper with 5:45 remaining in the first half to cut Wingate’s deficit to 29-20. The Bulldogs would not hit another field goal the rest of the half as Carson-Newman nudged its lead to 43-26 at intermission. Mendenhall ended the stanza with a jumper to give her 10 points in the first 20 minutes.

Eagle sophomore forward Zoriah Williams (Calera, Ala.) converted a traditional three-point play to push the C-N advantage to 46-26 at the 18:56 plateau of the second half. The 20-point lead was the Eagles’ largest of the day.

Wingate didn’t quit, cutting the deficit in half on two occasions. Crumlin hit a jumper to make the score 48-38 Eagles with 14:24 left. The basket ended a 12-2 run for the hosts. Carson-Newman responded with an 11-2 flurry to take a 59-40 lead on a short jumper by senior guard Ashley Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) at the 9:13 mark.

The Bulldogs made another push, as Crumlin stepped up and contributed an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit to 61-51 with 7:16 to play. Crumlin’s hoop and free throw concluded an 11-2 run for Wingate.

The hosts would get no closer, as Carson-Newman stretched the lead to 18 points in the waning moments. Wingate junior guard Emily Parrish (Brevard, N.C.) hit a triple with 13 seconds to account for the game’s final markers and make the ending margin 11 points.

Kyle had 13 points and three assists in support of Buford’s monster game. Freshman guard Candis Clear (Memphis, Tenn.) had 12 points and three rebounds. Clear completed two old-school three-point plays in the second half. Williams contributed 11 points, while Mendenhall and junior guard Katlin Moore (Fort Mill, S.C.) added 10 points each for the visitors.

Three players had nine points each for Wingate: senior center Stacie Rhodes (Knightdale, N.C.), sophomore guard/forward Kurie Washington (Marion, N.C.) and freshman guard Sarah Wollett (Raleigh, N.C.). Rhodes added six rebounds and three assists to her ledger, while Washington also dished out three dimes. Wollett had six boards and a team-best four assists Saturday.

Wingate shot 30.2 percent from the floor (19-of-63), including 22.6 percent in the first half (seven-of-31). Carson-Newman finished the night at a 47.7 percent shooting clip (31-of-65). The Eagles made 54.5 percent of their tries (18-of-33) in the crucial first half.

Carson-Newman blocked 12 shots, the most by a Wingate opponent this season. Both Buford and freshman forward Courdne Miles (Burlington, N.C.) rejected five shots each. Mendenhall added the other two blocks. The Bulldogs had seven blocked shots, with Crumlin and junior forward Jessy Keitt (Charlotte, N.C.) leading the way with two rejections each.

The Bulldogs and the Eagles will get reacquainted on Wednesday, as Wingate will visit Carson-Newman for a first-round game in the 2010 Food Lion SAC tournament. The 2010 season marks the second consecutive year the two teams have met in the final regular season game and the first-round tournament contest. The Bulldogs and the Eagles will tangle Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Carson-Newman’s Holt Field House.