Defending league champion Carson-Newman is off to a 6-2 start behind one of the nation's top offensive efforts. Thus far, the Lady Eagles are averaging a league-leading 83.6 points per game. A big reason for the offensive success has been the team's defensive play. Carson-Newman has blocked a league-best 44 shots this season while also leading the league in steals with 93. In turn, this has helped reigning SAC Player of the Year Braelyn Wykle to flourish in the open floor. The guard leads the lead in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.0 and scoring at 19.2 points per game. The Lady Eagles are not beating themselves; on the season, the team is averaging a league-low 14.4 turnovers per game while ranking second in the SAC in free throws made at 121. Carson-Newman is 3-1 away from Jefferson City this season while boasting a perfect 2-0 record in true road games.

After having its three-game winning streak snapped at Coker Saturday, Jamie Cluesman's UVA Wise squad will attempt to remain undefeated at home when Carson-Newman visits the Prior Center Wednesday. The Cavaliers have performed much better inside the Prior Center this winter, shooting 46 percent from the floor at home compared to a 38.8 percent showing on the road. The number is even more magnified when examining 3-point field goal percentage. Inside the Prior Center, UVA Wise makes 37.5 percent of its attempts while making just 24.6 percent of its shots from distance on the road. Last time out, Kalee Johnson made a career-high four 3-pointers as the redshirt senior moved to 15th on the school's all-time scoring list; the forward now has 1,097 points for her career. Johnson has been part of a balanced scoring effort for the team this season. In addition to Johnson's 13.5 points per game, Nia Vanzant is averaging a team-leading 16.9 points per contest, Meg Crawford has raised her scoring average to 9.4 per game after consecutive double-figure outings and Caitlyn Ross tosses in nine points per game. A year ago, Johnson and Ross had big games in a 92-89 loss to then No. 12 Eagles. Johnson had 28 points and 12 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action while Ross recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.