Carson-Newman sweeps TSWA weekly awards - Feb. 9

February 9, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Brenegan earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Luke Brenegan was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in three victories for the Eagles.

The Greenville, S.C., native posted 15 points, three boards, two assists and two steals with three 3-pointers versus Limestone University and added five triples and 19 points along with five assists and two steals against Anderson University.

The freshman guard ended the week with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, four rebounds and two assists versus Catawba College. Brenegan connected on 16-of-27 shots overall and 12-for-20 from behind the arc in the three outings.

2020-21 TSWA MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
December 9 – Tavon King, Cumberland University
December 15 – Luke Smith, Belmont
December 22 – Devin Whitfield, Lincoln Memorial
January 5 – Ben Sheppard, Belmont
January 12 – Kavon Blankenship, Bryan College
January 19 – Ren Dyer, Carson-Newman
January 26 – Tripp Davis, Carson-Newman
February 2 – Kevin Chong, Maryville College

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Wykle garners TSWA Player of the Week accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Braelyn Wykle was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, recording 25.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three wins for the Eagles.

The Greeneville, Tenn., native registered 20 points, four boards and six assists, hitting 8-of-21 shots overall, against Anderson University. The sophomore guard collected 33 points versus Wingate University, making six 3-pointers and 11-for-12 at the foul line.

She finished the week with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists versus Queens University, connecting on 9-of-15 field goals with three more triples. Wykle is averaging 23.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 11 contests this season for the Eagles.

2020-21 TSWA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
December 9 – Allissa Mulaski, Bryan College
December 15 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
December 22 – Eboni Williams, Chattanooga
January 5 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee
January 5 – Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
January 19 – Chelsey Perry, UT Martin
January 26 – Lindsay Taylor, Carson-Newman
February 2 – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee

Chong, Hayes named TSWA players of the week - Feb. 2

February 2, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Maryville’s Chong earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maryville College’s Kevin Chong was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 18.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two victories for the Scots.

The Coconut Creek, Fla., native made 7-of-14 shots from the field with three 3-pointers for 17 points along with six rebounds and three steals in a win versus Huntingdon College. The junior forward recorded 20 points, four boards and two assists in the next day against Huntingdon, connecting on 7-of-8 field goals and 4-for-5 from behind the arc.

Chong is posting 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in six games this season for Maryville.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Middle Tennessee’s Hayes garners TSWA Player of the Week accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee’s Anastasia Hayes was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, registering 38.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 steals in two wins for the Blue Raiders.

The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native netted a carer-high 42 points in an overtime triumph at UAB, connecting on 12-of-27 shots overall, including a career-best 6-for-8 from 3-point range, as well as 12-of-17 at the foul line. She scored 21 consecutive points from the 4:55 mark of the third quarter to the 5:08 mark of the fourth period, adding six steals with four assists and three rebounds.

She followed that with 35 points, eight boards and six assists two days later against the Blazers, hitting 12-of-22 shots with a pair of triples and 9-for-14 at the charity stripe. Hayes has scored 20-plus points in 19 straight games, the longest such streak in the nation, and leads the country in scoring at 28.6 points while adding 5.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 15 outings for Middle Tennessee.

Carson-Newman sweeps TSWA weekly honors

January 26, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Davis earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Tripp Davis was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 18.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in two contests for the Eagles.

The Nashville, Tenn., native collected a pair of 3-pointers and made 6-for-8 free throws for 14 points to go with six boards against Bluefield State. The senior netted 23 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 8-for-9 at the foul line versus Wingate University, adding six rebounds.

Davis is recording 10.0 points and 4.7 boards in nine games this year for the Eagles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Taylor garners TSWA Player of the Week accolades
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Lindsay Taylor was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, recording 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds with a pair of double-doubles in three games for the Eagles.

The Maryville, Tenn., native posted 33 points and 10 boards against Mars Hill, connecting on 12-of-14 field goals and 9-for-13 at the foul line. The sophomore grabbed 14 rebounds versus Tusculum University.

Taylor made 9-of-10 from the field and 3-for-6 on free throws for 21 points with 10 caroms along with two blocks against Wingate University. She is averaging 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in seven games this season for Carson-Newman.

Dyer, Perry garner TSWA weekly accolades

January 19, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Carson-Newman’s Dyer earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Carson-Newman’s Ren Dyer was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in two contests for the Eagles.

The Weaverville, N.C., native made 7-of-15 field goals with four 3-pointers for 18 points in a one-point loss to Queens University, adding nine rebounds and two assists. The freshman added a pair of triples and finished with 10 points along with 12 rebounds and three assists versus Lenoir-Rhyne.

It marked just the fifth double-double by a Carson-Newman freshman in the last 20 years and in the seventh game of the season for Dyer. He is averaging 12.7 points and 6.4 boards per game this year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: UT Martin’s Perry repeats as TSWA Player of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UT Martin’s Chelsey Perry was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, posting 34.0 points and 11.0 rebounds with two double-doubles for the Skyhawks.

The Middleton, Tenn., native connected on 8-of-16 shots and made 15-for-18 at the foul line for 32 points against Austin Peay, grabbing 11 boards with two blocks. The senior followed that with 36 points and 11 caroms along with four blocks versus Murray State, hitting 14-of-31 from the field and 7-for-8 at the foul line.

Perry broke the program’s all-time block record of 203, which stood since 1989, with her first block against Murray State and now ranks fifth in OVC history. She has scored at least 20 points in all eight games this season and is one of just two players nationally to have scored at least 20 points in each of her team’s contests. Perry leads the country in scoring with 29.3 points per game, adding 8.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per outing.

Blankenship, Perry earn TSWA weekly recognition

January 12, 2021 Forrest Freeman

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Bryan’s Blankenship earns TSWA Player of the Week honors
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bryan College’s Kavon Blankenship was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists with one double-double in three contests for the Lions.

The Gallatin, Tenn., native recorded 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers versus Reinhardt University, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The freshman collected 26 points with 11 assists and four boards in the first of two meetings against Truett-McConnell, making 7-of-12 from the field and 10-for-12 at the foul line.

Blankenship posted 15 points, seven caroms and three assists two days later versus TMU. He leads Bryan in scoring with 15.3 points per outing while adding 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 10 games this year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: UT Martin’s Perry garners TSWA Player of the Week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UT Martin’s Chelsey Perry was voted the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, netting 29.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two outings for the Skyhawks.

The Middleton, Tenn., native posted 26 points and 10 boards at second-ranked Louisville, hitting 9-of-18 from the floor with one 3-pointer while making 7-for-10 at the foul line. It marked her second 26-point scoring effort this season against the Cardinals.

The senior forward followed that with 32 points, seven rebounds and four steals in just 23 minutes against Tennessee State, connecting on 13-of-18 from the field with three 3-pointers. Perry is averaging 27.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in six games this year for UTM.