Sullivan’s career night leads C-N to 18-point win over #20 LMU
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (11-4, 7-2 SAC) won its fifth straight home game over a ranked team by defeating No. 20 Lincoln Memorial (12-2, 7-2 SAC) 76-58 on Wednesday evening at Holt Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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14 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 58 |
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19 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 76 |
VIDEO: Jennifer Sullivan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman (11-4, 7-2 SAC) won its fifth straight home game over a ranked team by defeating No. 20 Lincoln Memorial (12-2, 7-2 SAC) 76-58 on Wednesday evening at Holt Fieldhouse.
The victory over the Railsplitters snapped their seven-game winning streak and extended C-N's home winning streak to 12 in a row. Over the past three years, the Lady Eagles have won 32 of their past 33 home games.
"We knew how tough tonight would be," Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey said. "They beat us here last year and are one of the better defensive teams. The girls did a really good job of scoring the ball early and we also defended well. I just liked the performance that we got. LMU tried to creep back in it there in the 3rd, but we got some big time threes and the four-point play out of Jenn (Sullivan) which was huge."
Carson-Newman has its second win over a ranked team this season and has now won five straight home games against ranked competition.
The Bearden duo of Jennifer Sullivan (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Emily Gonzalez (Lenoir City, Tenn.) led the way for the Lady Eagles. Sullivan scored a career-high 30 points with a career-high seven three-pointers to lead all scorers. She is the first C-N player with 30 or more since Lindsey Taylor scored 38 on Mars Hill last February.
Gonzalez had her third 20 point game of the year, making six of her 11 shots and also grabbed six rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
"It kind of feels a lot like our senior year of high school," Sullivan said. "We have a lot of good chemistry and know when we need to turn it on. She is really good at applying pressure offensively. She is a great point guard."
The Lady Eagles got out to a fantastic offensive start. They made six of their first nine shots to jump out to a 14-4 lead with 5:27 left in the opening quarter. LMU settled in, and allowed just two baskets in the final four minutes to make it a five-point game after the first.
Into the second, C-N would go on another scoring surge. Four different Lady Eagles scored during a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 12, three minutes into the period. C-N's offense would stall out, making just one basket for over five minutes but only allowed LMU to score 10 points over the stretch to still maintain a four-point lead. The Lady Eagles used the foul line to extend the lead out to 10 at intermission.
LMU would draw within six points two and a half minutes into the second half, before Carson-Newman would take full control. A pair of Sullivan triples sparked an 8-2 scoring run to push the margin to 12. She would help get it to 16 thanks to a four-point play with 2:54 left in the third.
FOUR. POINT. PLAY.@Jennsullivan02 has the big 20‼️
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 14, 2026
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Sullivan scored 15 of her 30 in the third quarter push the lead to 14 after three quarters.
Gonzalez and Sullivan continued to have answers anytime LMU would try to make a run. With the Railsplitters within 11, the duo scored seven of the game's next nine points to extend the lead to 16 again. Gonzalez scored eight of her 20 in the fourth, to help C-N run away with an 18-point win.
Career-high3⃣0⃣from @Jennsullivan02
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CN_Eagles) January 15, 2026
2⃣0⃣piece from @emilyrgonz
✖️Held LMU to its worst three-point shooting day in 4 years
Lady Eagles have won five straight home games against ranked teams��@CNwbasketball x #TalonsUp pic.twitter.com/pDk16SMq1w
Keeleigh Rogers (Knoxville, Tenn.) was terrific in her role. She led C-N with a season-high 12 rebounds, dished out a team-high five assists and a career-high 11 blocks. Drawing the matchup of Lexi Patty (who averages 14 points per game), Rogers held the senior guard to 1 point and a 0-10 shooting day.
"She understands the game and she understands what we want," Mincey said. "She always gives us all she has. She is a defensive stopper that we missed last year. For her to do what she has done the past two games, against Aaliyah El and now Patty. She is a really tough defender and rebounds it very well and can bring it up the floor too."
Led by Rogers' effort, C-N outrebounded LMU 45-35 including a 33-21 mark in defensive rebounding.
Carson-Newman's defense held Lincoln Memorial to its second worst shooting game of the season and its worst three-point shooting performance in four years. LMU was only 2 of 20 from long range, while C-N was 9 for 26.
The Lady Eagles recorded double-digit blocks for the second time this year, finishing with 11. Rogers' five led the way with Mattie Nuckolls (Chatsworth, Ga.) recording three of her own. Nuckolls also scored in double figures with 10.
Carson-Newman is back at home on Saturday afternoon against Newberry. Tip off with the Wolves is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloSports at cneagles.com/FloWbb. A live camera of the broadcast crew "On Press Row" will also be available on YouTube.
Team Stats
#20 Lincoln Memorial
| Game Statistics | #20 Lincoln Memorial | Carson-Newman |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-67) | (26-60) |
| Field Goal % | 34.3% | 43.3% |
| Rebounds | 35 | 45 |
| Assists | 10 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 38 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 21 |
| Bench Pts | 7 | 12 |
