GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Kyle Moore recorded 31 points, including eight 3-pointers to lead the Tusculum College men's basketball team to an 80-70 South Atlantic Conference victory over Mars Hill College Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.
The Pioneers (11-8, 5-3 SAC) won their third straight game, while moving into a tie for second place in the conference standings. It was also Tusculum's 100th victory at Pioneer Arena.
In a battle between the top two scorers in the league between Moore and Mars Hill's Danny Sanders, Moore finished 9-of-17 from the floor, including 8-of-14 from three-point territory. Sanders led the Lions (10-8, 5-3 SAC) with 19 points and four assists.
Wes Taylor accounted for 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while Justin Steigerwald added 11 points, eight assists and five boards in the victory.
Mars Hill's Dion Malachi posted a dozen markers, nine rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss.
Tusculum went on a 7-0 run in a span of 53 seconds, including two free throws each by Moore and Bennett, along with a three-pointer by Jimmy Boone as TC led 19-12 at the 12:02 mark.
The Lions responded with a 10-2 spurt over the next two minutes to regain the lead at 22-21 with 7:35 left before halftime. Sanders and Stoney Polite each had a three-pointer, while Brittion Smith capped the run with his jumper.
In the later part of the opening half, Taylor converted a three-point play and Rob Troutman added a jumper as Tusculum led 31-27 with 2:13 on the clock. Malachi and Dallas Johnson connected on back-to-back jumpers to tie the game at 31-31, but Taylor gave TC the lead at 33-31 heading into the locker room with his two free throws with 2.9 seconds left.
In the second half with the score tied at 38-38, Tusculum posted a 16-2 run over four minutes to take its largest lead of the contest at 54-40 with 10:51 left in the game. Moore converted on a rare four-point play and added another three on the ensuing possession to put the Pioneers up by 14.
When the two teams last year in Greeneville, Mars Hill rallied from a 12-point second half deficit, to post a 75-72 victory over the Pioneers. The Lions cut into the deficit with nine unanswered points as TC now led 54-49 following a pair of free throws on an intentional foul.
But unlike last year, the Pioneers turned away the rally as TC went on a 17-9 spurt, capped off by a dunk by Taylor as Tusculum went up 71-58 to all but seal the win.
Tusculum broke the 80-point barrier for the second time this season, while limiting the top scoring offense in the conference to nearly 20 points under its seasonal average (89.8 ppg).
Moore recorded his ninth 30-point of his career as he has tallied 1,552 points, moving into sixth place on the Tusculum scoring list, surpassing former teammate Jordan Lear (1,550 - 2004-08).
The Pioneers finished the game shooting 51.1 percent for the contest, including 13-of-21 in the second half (61.9%). Tusculum also went 10-of-19 from three-point territory and 24-of-32 at the foul line. Steigerwald led TC going 9-of-12 at the foul line, while Taylor went 8-of-9 at the stripe.
Tusculum will host defending SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne University this Monday for a 7 p.m. contest at Pioneer Arena. It will be Tusculum's "Jam the Gym" Night promotion as it will be free admission for all fans. Mars Hill will be at SAC leader Brevard College on Monday for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
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