The Concord Men's Basketball team is long on shooters and short on, well, size.
So when the outside shots don't fall and the other team is bigger, things can get difficult.
As in Friday's meeting with Carson Newman.
In the first half, Concord's long-range shots were going in, and the Mountain Lions took a 42-28 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles exploited their superior size and strength, outscored CU 57-25, and grabbed an 85-67 victory in day one of the DeBusk/Burchett Holiday Classic in Harrogate, TN.
Concord quickly fell behind 3-0, then rode the hot hand of Cory Willard to burst out into the lead. The sophomore from Wyoming East High School sank five three-point shots in a 4:13 span to fuel a 21-3 Mountain Lions rally.
Willard ended the half with 21 points, part of Concord's 9-20 three-point barrage. The Mountain Lions were ahead by 14 at the break.
Then came the second half.
Carson Newman got its first six points on a pair of three-pointers, then established their superior inside game. The Eagles methodically pounded away at the CU defense and took the lead for good at 56-54 on a dunk by Brandon Evans with 10:43 remaining.
Carson Newman would outscore Concord 29-11 the rest of the way.
After halftime, the Eagles' hefty front line of Tray Okoth, Quinche Dowdell and Darren Maxtion combined for 25 points and 12 rebounds.
“Our post players got introduced to a man's world tonight,” said Concord head coach Steve Cox.
Meanwhile, CN guards J.J. Wesley and Jordan Dixon combined for 16 points from the perimeter in the second half.
“Our guards got the same introduction, too,” said Cox. “They were very physical with us after halftime.”
Concord shot just 9-33 (.273) from the field in the second half, including 0-10 from three-point range.
Carson Newman, which came into Friday shooting just .245 on their three-point shots this season, was 6-14 (.429) from long range in the second half against Concord.
Five Eagles scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Okoth.
Willard led Concord with 23 points.
Concord committed 29 fouls, resulting in a decided free throw advantage for Carson Newman. The Eagles finished 27-42 from the line, while Concord was 8-16.
The Mountain Lions fall to 0-2 on the season.
Concord will play Lincoln Memorial University – the hosts of the DeBusk/Burchett Holiday Classic – tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 pm EST.
Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) will broadcast the game, starting with the “Mountain Lion Preview Show” at 3:30 pm. The CU-LMU matchup will be webcast at theriver102.com.
