COBRAS END REGULAR SEASON ON LOSS TO CARSON-NEWMAN

Jefferson City, TN - The banged-up Cobras took a tough loss to one of the top teams in the SAC this afternoon, losing to the Eagles of Carson-Newman 75-54.

By The Numbers:

Final score: Carson-Newman 75, Coker 54
Records: Coker 24-4 (20-4), Carson-Newman 21-7 (18-6 SAC)
Location: Jefferson City, TN

Top Performers:

Shawnteanna Tillman: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
Kristynn Knight: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

How It Happened:

It was a close contest early on, with the Cobras holding a 4-2 lead off a Tillman layup about two minutes into the first quarter. A Carson-Newman three took the lead, but Dasia Ferguson had an answer off a layup that retook the lead. A little more back-and-forth found the Cobras down one at 8-9 with about six minutes left in the period. A big three from Carson-Newman took a 12-8 lead for them, but the Cobras weren't done yet.

Another three put the Cobras down 15-8, but then they went on a big run to take back the lead at 17-15. The run started on a Courtney Taylor layup and ended with two made free throws from Tillman. Carson Newman retook the lead on free throws, and we headed into the second quarter with the Cobras down 22-17.

Unfortunately for Coker, Carson-Newman was keyed in defensively throughout the second quarter (and for the rest of the contest). Their stout defense held the Cobras to five points in the period as they held a 36-22 lead going into the break. The Cobras made a mini-run to start off the third to bring it within eleven off a free throw by Ferguson, but Carson-Newman responded accordingly with their own answer. In the beginning of the fourth, the Cobras were able to bring this as close as a nine-point contest off a Tillman three-pointer, but a run to close out the game sealed this for the Eagles and they brought home a twenty-point victory.

Notables:

• The Cobras will begin the SAC Postseason Tournament as the first overall seed, having won the conference outright with a win over LMU last week
• The Cobras were without guard Mariah Mitchem this afternoon, while both Kamari Thompson and Ferguson both made returns to the court after missing some time with injuries

Up Next:

The Cobras will head to Rock Hill to face off against Limestone in quarterfinal action. The Cobras took a pair of victories against the Saints already this season and will look to complete the trifecta on Tuesday at 5:00 PM ET.