LADY EAGLES BEGIN SEASON WITH 95-72 VICTORY

Tatum Burstrom hits seven three-pointers along with team-high 23 points

The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles women’s basketball team began its regular season with a bang, defeating the Lees-McRae Bobcats 95-72 in the South Atlantic Conference-Conference Carolinas Challenge at Holt Fieldhouse on Saturday night.

Sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.), built upon her All-SAC Freshman Team season by beginning her sophomore year with a 23-point performance by knocking down seven three pointers and scoring 17 of her 23 points in the first half as the Lady Eagles collect a win in the regular season opener for the first time in the Mike Mincey era.

“Tatum’s shooting tonight was incredible,” said Mincey, now in his third season as Carson-Newman’s head women’s basketball coach. “I’ve been hoping we’d be a pretty good offensive team, we’ve spent probably 75 percent of our practices on the offensive end. We really don’t want to be a team that’s averaging 61 points per game anymore.”

Burstrom’s seven three-pointers made is the most she’s had in a game in her career, and she came only a point shy of matching her career-high for points in a game.

Carson-Newman also saw sophomore Taylor Peterson (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), collect a double-double in her first game at Holt Fieldhouse with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Burstrom and Peterson were joined in double-digit scoring by freshman Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.), who scored 10 points in her 19 minutes on the floor as she made the first start of her collegiate career.

“She’s a sponge,” said Mincey when asked about Cupples. “She’s very coachable, does everything we ask her to do, and she’s one of those I feel I can count on that if we put her out there, she’s going to give it everything she has and make the smart plays.

“Peterson is a skill player and she showed that tonight,” Mincey said.

Carson-Newman maintained much of the upper hand throughout the first half, yet took off on a 13-2 run in the final five minutes of the half that marked three three-pointers from Burstrom, and Carson-Newman led at halftime 45-25.

The Lady Eagles maintained their large lead in the second half, and sophomore Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.), built upon her freshman campaign by being a floor general getting half of Carson-Newman’s assists with eight.

Carson-Newman finished the night shooting 42 percent from the field, while Lees-McRae shot only 37 percent, and Carson-Newman won the rebounding battle 54-32.

Lees-McRae featured five players in double-digit scoring, led by the 18 points of guard Lauren Lewis.

Carson-Newman will close out play in the SAC-Conference Carolinas Challenge by facing Barton at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The game will follow Sunday’s first game in SAC-Conference Carolinas Challenge play as Lenoir-Rhyne faces Lees-McRae at 1 p.m.

Video coverage of all games in the SAC-Conference Carolinas Challenge at Carson-Newman will be available on www.cneagles.com, and Carson-Newman’s games will also be carried on the Eagle Sports Network’s flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with Sunday’s coverage beginning at 2:45 p.m. with “The Countdown to Tipoff.”