Brown’s 42 leads Bears past Eagles

Next Game:

at Coker

1/14/2026 | 5:30 PM

Jan. 14 (Wed) / 5:30 PM

at Coker

History

HICKORY, N.C. – Abigail Brown couldn’t be stopped on Saturday afternoon, pouring in a career-high 42 points and hitting seven threes en-route to a 103-92 win over a strong Carson-Newman team. 

Brown’s 42 points marks the first time a Bear has scored 40 points in a game since Amber Hanks scored 40 on this exact same date in 2000, January 10th.

The team set a new school record by hitting 17 threes in the contest, breaking the old record of 14 set against Mars Hill and USC Aiken in 2019. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 103, Carson-Newman 92
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (10-4, 6-2 SAC), Carson-Newman (10-4, 6-2 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE GAME:

• Abigail Brown started her day by scoring the first seven points of the game for the Bears, pushing them out a 7-4 lead.
• Three pointers from Elyseia Brown, Tatum Bowen, and Abigail Brown pushed Lenoir-Rhyne’s lead to 19-6 with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter.
• A late layup from Trista Charles gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 28-13 lead after one.
• The Eagles opened the second quarter strong, cutting hte lead to 38-34 midway through the frame.
• Threes from Abigail Brown and Tatum Bowen kept the Eagles at bay, sending Lenoir-Rhyne into the half with a 54-45 lead.
• Lenoir-Rhyne scored 10 points in the first 1:43 of the second half to extend the lead to 15.
• Carson-Newman fought back and cut the lead to 79-71 going into the final 10 minutes of play.
• Lenoir-Rhyne went 10-14 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Abigail Brown scored her 42 points on 12-23 shooting from the field, 7-10 from three, and 11-15 from the free throw line.
• Elyseia Brown hit five threes and scored 19 points while Trista Charles scored 13 on a perfect 5-5 from the field.
• Abigail Brown also led the team in rebounds (6) and blocks (2). 
• Amiya Porter dished out five assists and picked up five steals.
• The Bears shot 32-63 (50.8%) from the field and an incredible 17-25 (68%) from three.
• Carson-Newman was 33-74 (44.6%) from the field and 7-26 (26.9%) from three. 
• The Eagles won the rebounding battle 45-35 and had 16 offensive boards. 
• Despite the high scoring affair there were only 22 combined turnovers in the contest.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Abigail Brown’s 42 points are the most points by a freshman in NCAA Division II this season and the fifth most overall.
• Brown’s 42 are the most points by an NCAA Division II freshman since Emilee Weakley scored 47 for Frostburg State on February 15, 2023.
• Lenoir-Rhyne’s 17 threes are tied for the seventh most in NCAA Division II this year, and their 68% from three ranks fourth.
• The Bears are now 32-54 all-time against the Eagles and 19-20 at home.
• Head coach Emry Tsitouris is the fastest first-year head coach to 10 wins (14 games) since Karen Barefoot did it in 12 games back in the 2001-02 season.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne has now won five straight and will look to use that momentum next Wednesday when they travel to No. 9 Coker. The Cobras clawed back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Emory & Henry 64-56 this afternoon. Tip-off for Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Hartsville, S.C.