Jan. 31, 2008

Final Stats

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Sophomore Jordan Dixon's (Clinton, Tenn.) career-high 29 points lifted Carson-Newman to a 129-123 win over Catawba in overtime Wednesday night at Holt Fieldhouse.

The Eagles scored the first four points in overtime and never trailed in the extra period.

Junior Bobby Guyton (Jessup, Ga.) added two buckets in the final five minutes, including a dunk on a run out to put the Eagles up 126-120. Guyton finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Dixon helped keep the tempo up for the nation's fourth-ranked scoring offense, averaging 88.1 points per game entering Wednesday night's game. The Eagles hit 24-of- 98 shots in the basketball game. Dixon finished 8-of-16 from the floor and a perfect 11-of-11 at the line.

Carson-Newman (13-4, 5-2 SAC) played without Head Coach Dale Clayton, who missed his second game in 20 seasons. Clayton is helping with his mother in Florida. Senior Andy Tipton (Maryville, Tenn.) rested a sore back and did not play.

Sophomore Antonio Houston (Charlotte, N.C.) poured in 33 points in defeat. Houston almost single-handedly brought the Indians back in the closing minutes of overtime, cutting what was a 124-117 C-N lead to 126-123 with a pair of NBA-range threes. The Charlotte, North Carolina-native had a career-high 34 in a win over Mars Hill last week. He finished 11-of-20 from the floor and 8-of-8 at the line.

The Eagles nearly let a 16-point lead slip away. C-N led 46-30 late in the first half, but saw the Indians cut it to 53-46 at the half. Despite the runs by each team and the game reaching overtime, Carson-Newman trailed only once in the game, at 4-2.

Catawba (11-8, 3-4 SAC) chipped away at the C-N lead for the entire second half. The Indians stayed within five points for the final 7:30, but could not move in front of the Eagles. The furious pace led to a combined 123 second-half points.

Freshman Dominick Reid (Charlotte, N.C.) also had a career-high 23 for Catawba. His two three-pointers near the end of regulation kept the Indians within striking distance. Catawba would eventually tie the game at 111-111 on a driving layup by Rob Fields (Orangeburg, S.C.) with 7.2 seconds remaining.

Norman Monroe (Newport News, Va.) also had a big night for the Indians, finishing with 23 points.

Dixon and Guyton keyed the Eagle attack, but senior Darren Williams came up big late. The Lawrenceville, Georgia-native knocked down a three with just under two minutes remaining to push the Eagles lead to four at 102-98. Williams would finish with 18 points, 13 in the second half.

Six Eagles reached double-figures led by Dixon's 29. Scott Williams (Macon, Ga.) had 16 and Andrew Johnson (Cairo, Ga.) 11. Clay Scott (Jefferson, Ga.) added 10.

The offensive explosion isn't C-N's highest offensive output ever. The Eagles posted 142 points in a win over Tusculum in 1984. However, the game will have its share of C-N records. The 252 total points is a record for a single game, as is the 123 points allowed. The points allowed is a very recent record, set by Wingate in a 122-116 win over the Eagles in Holt Fieldhouse last February.

Carson-Newman takes to the road Saturday to face Newberry College. Tip is set for 4 p.m. in Newberry, South Carolina. Catawba returns to action next Wednesday at Wingate.