Cobras Upset Eagles in Quarterfinals of SAC Tournament

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. – The No. 7 seed Coker Cobras upset the No. 2 seed Carson-Newman Eagles 80-72 on Wednesday (Mar. 5) night in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.  With the win the Cobras improve to 15-12 overall.

Four Cobras scored in double figures, including a team leading 22 points from senior guard Julian Nelson. Junior guard Errick Bethel knocked down 19 points off the bench, while senior forward Eren Moses chipped in 15 points. The fourth Cobra to score double figures was sophomore guard Trey Marshall with 11 points.

After falling behind 16-6 in the first half, Coker used a 28-12 run to take a 34-28 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Eagles quickly erased the Cobra advantage and regained the lead, 35-34, two minutes into the second half. Carson-Newman held the lead for the majority of the second half, leading by as much as five points for the next 13 minutes.

The Cobras tied the game at 63, and then used a Bethel 3-pointer and a five-point swing by Nelson to take a 71-67 lead with 2:30 left in the game.  The Eagles cut the lead to two, 74-72, with 20 ticks left of the clock, but with the help of four straight free throws by freshman Donte Samuels and a Moses lay-up, the Cobras were able to secure the 80-72 victory.

Coker will now take on the No. 3 seed Anderson on Saturday (Mar. 8) in the semifinals of the 2014 Food Lion SAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.