Eagles Rally to Defeat Tusculum 62-58

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman men's basketball team rallied in the final minute to defeat rival Tusculum, 62-58, on Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action at Pioneer Arena.

With the game tied at 58, senior forward Darron Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.) made a layup with 16 seconds left in regulation to give the Eagles the lead. Senior guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) then sank two free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the win.

With the victory, C-N improves to 7-8 on the season and 2-3 in the conference, while Tusculum falls to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in SAC play.

“This win is huge because it’s a road win for one,” said C-N head coach Dale Clayton, whose team snapped a three-game losing streak. “It’s just so hard to win in our league on the road. The second thing is it’s Tusculum, one of our biggest rivals. To come (to Pioneer Arena) and beat them at their style of play is a difficult thing to do. Everybody stepped up that had to. I’m just really proud of the guys”

Clayton said a key to Saturday’s win was the Eagles ability to take care of the basketball. During its three-game losing streak, C-N averaged 20 turnovers per contest. On Saturday, The Eagles committed a season-low nine turnovers.

“We got off to a better start than we’ve been getting off to,” Clayton offered. “The last game we had five turnovers in the first 10 possessions. Tonight we didn’t do that. Without question that was a big part of the win.”

The Eagles shot 48.9 percent (22-of-45) for the game, while they held the Pioneers to 39.6 percent (19-of-48) shooting.

“Defensively, we were consistent the whole game,” Clayton said. “That was the best man-to-man defense we’ve played all year.”

Sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.) led four Eagles in double figures with 14 points, while Dixon and Erwin Staten (Huntsville, Ala.) finished with 12 points apiece. Maxtion chipped in 10 points in the win.

Reigning SAC Player of the Kyle Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) paced the Pioneers with 27 points, while Rob Troutman (Mt. Washington, Ky.) and Wes Taylor (Oregon, Ohio) netted 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Eagles held a 28-27 lead at the half, but Tusculum battled back early in the second half with an 8-3 run capped off by a Troutman 3-pointer that gave the Pioneers a 35-31 advantage.

Tusculum led 53-49 with 4:49 remaining before C-N began to chip away at its lead. The teams tied the game twice during the final three minutes before Maxtion’s layup with 16 seconds left gave C-N the lead for good.

C-N returns to action on Wednesday in a SAC matchup at Brevard. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.