Storylines – vs Carson-Newman
Ninth-year coach Mike Mincey has Carson-Newman in contention for a NCAA Tournament berth. The Eagles have been consistently ranked in the D2SIDA Regional Poll and with a 7-3 South Atlantic
Conference record, Mincey's squad is two games back of first place in the league standings. The Eagles are led by East Tennessee State University transfer Kayla Marosites who is averaging a 19.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. A two-time All-SAC honoree, the transfer earned all-region acclaim last season as she established a new single-game school record for rebounds with 22. A key to the success of the Eagles this season has been the 3-point shot. As a team, Carson-Newman has made 167 3-pointers ranking fourth among all NCAA Division II schools in made 3-pointers per game at 10.6. The long range shooting has led the Eagles to become one of the highest scoring teams in the country. Entering play Wednesday, Carson-Newman is averaging a conference leading 82.4 points per game which ranks fifth in NCAA Division II. When the Eagles have had difficulty scoring, they have not won. Carson-Newman is winless (0-3) this season when being held below 70 points.
About UVA Wise
UVA Wise stopped a three-game losing streak with a 73-59 win over Coker Saturday behind the first collegiate double-double from freshman Nia Vanzant who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Coach Jamie Cluesman's team will attempt to halt another streak at Carson-Newman Wednesday, a five-game road losing streak. The Cavaliers have had several near misses on the road, including a four point loss at Tusculum and a two point loss at Wingate. In addition to Vanzant, two other freshman stepped up in Saturday's win. Leah Kestner scored seven points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds while drawing a pair of charges on the defensive end. Caitlyn Ross scored 12 points and dished out seven assists as she made 10-of-12 foul shots. On the season, Ross has 99 asssists and is on pace to set the single-season UVA Wise assist record which currently stands at 155 which was established by Chelsea Lee in the 2005-06 season. Junior Hanna Oliver posted an efficient game too as she made 3-of-5 3-pointers en route to nine points. Oliver has made eight 3-pointers in the last three games after making just four long range shots in the previous three contests.  The game is a start of a three-game road trip for the Cavs, Jamie Cluesman's team visits Anderson Saturday before completing the road swing at Mars Hill next Wednesday.