Women's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Carson-Newman

MARS HILL, N.C.- The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles erased a 17-point second half deficit en route to a 75-72 victory over Mars Hill in Stanford Arena. Carson-Newman improves to 12-1 overall and 6-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. Mars Hill falls to 4-8 on the season and 2-5 in the league.

Camille Glymph led the Lions with 25 points, followed by 14 points from Paige Chavis and a 12 point game from Genice Lane. Lane posted a double-double as she pulled down 12 rebounds, 11 of them on the defensive glass. Chavis had four steals to lead the Lions.

Carson-Newman was led by Allison Hodge's 18 points, with Kailyn Brooks scoring 12 points and 10 points each from Whitney Kyle and Jessica Simerly. Kyle led the Lady Eagles with eight rebounds; Jai Jaie McLaughlin had eight assists.

Chavis scored on the Lions' first two possessions for a 4-0 lead before the Lady Eagles went on a 12-2 run for a 12-6 lead with 16:30 to play in the half. The Lions responded, taking a 15-14 lead on a Chavis layup with just under 10 minutes to play in the frame. The teams traded the lead four times until the Lions pushed their lead to 40-32 with 1:17 to play. A Jasmine Poole layup followed by a Hodge 3-pointer just before the buzzer pulled the visitors to within three points as the Lions held a 40-37 halftime lead.

Mars Hill opened the second half on a 13-2 run for a 53-39 lead with just over 13 minutes to play in the game. Carson-Newman cut the Lion lead to 10 following a pair of  Brooks free throws with just under 12 minutes to play. Mars Hill responded as Glymph sank a 3-pointer followed by a pair of forced turnovers and layups by Chavis and Glymph on consecutive Carson-Newman possessions for a game-high 17 point lead, 62-45, with 10:30 to play in the game.

The Lady Eagles went on a 16-4 run to cut the Lion lead to 66-61 with 4:40 to play. Wilmoth sank a pair of free throws to push the Lion lead back to a two possession lead at 68-61 before a Brooks layup and a pair of Simerly free throws cut the Lion lead to 68-67. McLaughlin pulled the Lady Eagles to within a point, 72-71. Following a Mars Hill miss, Brooks sank two free throws for a 75-72 lead with 56 seconds to play. Mars Hill had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but the shot clanked off the iron.

Mars Hill shot a season-high 53.2 percent from the field but also committed a season-high 35 turnovers, resulting in 40 Carson-Newman points. The Lions held a 40-34 edge on the glass and a 5-1 advantage in blocked shots.

Mars Hill welcomes Newberry to Stanford Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m.