Sharp’s Career Night not Enough as Eagles Fall at Brevard, 67-65

BREVARD, N.C. — Despite a career-high 28 points from sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.), the Carson-Newman men’s basketball team dropped a 67-65 decision at Brevard on Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Boshamer Gymnasium.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 7-9 overall and 2-4 in the conference, while the Tornados improve to 13-5 on the season and 5-2 in SAC play.

Sharp was 10-of-16 from the floor, including 7-of-10 from behind the arc, in 39 minutes of action.

The Eagles shot 51.1 percent (24-of-47) as a team, including 50 percent (12-of-24) from 3-point range.

Senior point guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) tossed in 12 points and dished out seven assists in the loss.

Brevard forward Jonathan Whitson (Clyde, N.C.) led four Tornados in double figures with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Carlisle (Raleigh, N.C.) netted 13 points. Josh Roper (Charlotte, N.C.) and Nathan Whitmire (Rosman, N.C.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.

Sharp carried the Eagles in the first half as he tossed in 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including five 3-pointers. Brevard held a one-point lead nine minutes into the contest before Sharp drained a 3-pointer at the 10:42 mark to spark a 13-4 C-N run that gave the Eagles a 30-20 advantage.

The Tornados battled back to trim C-N’s lead to three points on a Roper dunk with 1:05 left in the half, but Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) answered at the other end with a jumper to give the Eagles a 36-31 lead heading into the locker room.

C-N didn’t hold onto its lead for long after the break, as Brevard opened the second half with a 14-4 run to take a 45-40 lead with 15:18 remaining.

The Eagles later regained the lead by going on a 19-9 run capped off by another Sharp 3-pointer that gave C-N a 59-54 advantage with 6:12 remaining.

But Brevard outscored the Eagles 13-6 to close out the game.

C-N returns home on Saturday for a SAC matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse.