GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum's Tommy Klempin finished with 20 points, while the Pioneers closed out the game with a 10-0 run in a 75-60 non-conference win over Lees-McRae at Pioneer Arena.

Thursday's contest was the conclusion of the Nov. 22 game that was halted with 17:28 remaining in the second half due to heavy rains and wind, causing a water leak in the Arena ceiling. The leak was continuous enough to make the playing floor conditions hazardous.

Play resumed nine days later with Tusculum leading 44-30 with all statistics accumulated carrying over to Thursday's restart, including fouls and points.

Tusculum (3-4) maintained its double-digit lead early during the restart and upped their advantage to as many as 17 (55-38) following a rebound and put-back by Klempin at the 8:44 mark of the half.

But the Bobcats (0-6) imposed a full court press for most of the restart that forced 15 Tusculum turnovers, resulting into 14 LMC points. Lees-McRae scored seven unanswered points in a span of 2:11 to trim the deficit to 55-45 following a steal and lay-up by Daniel Sepokas with 6:33 remaining in regulation.

"We are turning the ball over at a rate that is just unacceptable. You can't look at the stat sheet and point out one player and say 'This is your fault.' This is a virus that has affected the entire team, and I attribute it to our decision making and our ability to execute," said Pioneer head coach Michael Jones.

With TC leading 65-55 with 3:06 remaining, the Bobcats made another push scoring five straight points, thanks to a DeAndre Tillman jumper and Asad Lamot's three-pointer to cut the TC lead to 65-60 with 2:13 left on the scoreboard.

On its next possession, Tusculum committed its 15th turnover of the night and 26th of the game. LMC had a chance to cut the deficit to a single possession, but Sepokas missed two free throws with 1:40 on the clock.

TC's Justin Steigerwald came up with the rebound and was fouled. He would make both free throws with 1:37 remaining to begin the 10-0 run. The Bobcats would miss their last five field goal attempts, while Steigerwald and Kevin Vest came up with a steal each as Tusculum preserved the win.

"I felt like our defensive intensity was there. We were aggressive in the way we pursued the ball, and that's why we won. We got some steals, layups and transition breaks because of our defense," Jones added.

Tusculum shot 77.8 percent from the free throw line for the game, including 17-of-24 during Thursday's restart. The Pioneers made their 10-0 run at the end of the game all from the free throw line, going 10-for-12 in the final 1:37 of the contest, including a 6-of-8 performance by Vest in the final minutes of the contest.

Vest and Jordan Davidson finished with double-doubles for the Pioneers. Vest tallied 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while Davidson finished with 14 markers and 10 boards. Klempin had the most consistent performance of the game as he shot 6-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe.

Steigerwald, who was injured early in Friday's win over Bluefield State, finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists as he experienced foul trouble in the Nov. 22 game and picked up his fourth foul early in the restart on Thursday.

Lamot led the Bobcats with his 17 points, six assists and five steals, while Jeremiah Henry and Sepokas accounted for 11 markers each.

Tusculum finished the game shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, while limiting the Bobcats to 29.8 percent. TC also won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Bobcats by a 46-28 margin, including 21-11 in the final 17:28 of the game.

The contest was a physical one with 58 total fouls called (TC 29, LMC 29), including 33 fouls whistled during Thursday's restart.

Tusculum will open South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday as the Pioneers take on Brevard College at 4 p.m. Saturday's game will be a homecoming for Coach Jones as the new Tusculum skipper spent the previous 12 seasons at the helm of the Brevard program.

- TC -