JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. -- Kevin Kangu and T.J. Nesmith combined for 35 points but the Bears fell short at Carson-Newman on Wednesday night. The Eagles grabbed their third straight win as LR dropped its second consecutive contest.

GAME INFORMATION:
Final: Carson-Newman 72, Lenoir-Rhyne 57
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (3-4, 2-2 SAC) I Carson-Newman (4-3, 2-2 SAC)
Location: Holt Fieldhouse

STATS AND INFO:
- LR cut the lead to one possession a handful of times but Carson-Newman led throughout
- This was the 70th all-time meeting between the two programs with LR holding a 37-33 advantage
- The Bears are just 11-23 all-time in Jefferson City
- With the 26-point first half, LR had been held under 30 points in three straight halves

FIRST HALF:
- Each team suffered a scoring drought of five-and-a-half minutes in the first half but Carson-Newman would do enough to take a 32-26 lead into the break
- The Eagles knocked down each of their first four 3-point attempts and would go 7-of-17 from long range in the first half
- T.J. Nesmith brought good energy off the bench, scoring four points and added three rebounds, two blocks and a steal
- P.J. Joseph led LR with seven first-half points in just seven minutes of play and Jalen Johnson had five points
- LR shot just 37.9 percent in the first half and 16 of their 26 points came in the paint
- Carson-Newman was paced by eight points from Caleb Bridgewater and six points and seven boards by Bryant Thomas

SECOND HALF:
- Kangu exploded with 14 second-half points and knocked down four 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes
- Nesmith added 14 in the second half as well and went 5-of-6 from the field
- However, LR was held to 37.9 percent shooting and Carson-Newman hit 59.3 percent from the field (16-of-27)
- Joshuwa Butts had nine second-half points for the Eagles after being held scoreless in the first half

ABOUT THE BEARS:
- Nesmith's 18 points are a career-high as are his seven made field goals on the night
- Kangu reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in six games this year with his 17-point performance
- No player had more than four rebounds for LR as Carson-Newman held a 42-27 edge on the boards
- The Bears committed a season-low seven turnovers in the game

NOTABLE EAGLES:
- Thoams would finish with a team-high 14 points and added 10 boards for the double-double
- E.J. Bush had 12 points and Bridgewater finished with 11
- C-N only hit one 3-pointer in the second half and finished 8-of-22 from long range after starting 4-for-4

UP NEXT: The Bears return to action with an exhibition game against Division I East Tennessee St. on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.