HICKORY, N.C. --- Kevin Davis recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Lenoir-Rhyne University men's basketball team outlasted visiting Tusculum College 51-47 in a defensive battle Wednesday night at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
The Bears (9-9, 5-4 SAC) have won five of their last six games, while sending the Pioneers (7-10, 4-5 SAC) to their third straight loss.
Tusculum's Tommy Klempin led the visitors with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Greensboro, N.C. native Nicholas Spinks added 11 points, five boards and three assists. Jordan Davidson accounted for eight points and eight rebounds, while Justin Steigerwald finished with five points and three assists.
For the Bears, B.J. Beasley tallied 12 points, while Hunter McClintock added 10 markers in the victory.
Tusculum shot a dismal 14-of-23 from the free throw line (56%), including 7-of-16 in the first half alone (43.8%), but the Pioneers still only trailed 27-23 at the intermission.
The Bears upped their lead to 29-23 to start the second half, but the Pioneers would score six straight, including consecutive baskets by Darius Carter to tie the game at 29-29 with 14:55 remaining in the game.
Lenoir-Rhyne would answer with a 9-0 run over the next 6:53, capped off by two Bryce Hawkins free throws as the Bears led 38-29. Klempin made one of two free throws to stop the run, but Lenoir-Rhyne would four straight points by Beasley to take its largest lead of the night at 42-30 with 6:08 left on the clock.
Tusculum responded with a 9-0 run of its own, thanks to a three-point play by Spinks and a Klempin layup as the Pioneers trailed 42-39 with 3:15 remaining.
The Bears would miss their next shot on the ensuing possession, but D.J. Blackmon came up with the offensive rebound and was fouled, where he made both free throws to give the Bears a five-point lead (44-39) with 2:54 remaining.
Tusculum would get off three shots on its ensuing possession, including a pair of three-point attempts, but nothing would fall. Lenoir-Rhyne would miss on its next possession and the Pioneers would capitalize with a layup by TC's leading scorer Kevin Vest with 1:36 left for his only points of the contest to make the score 44-41.
The Bears milked the clock on its ensuing possession, but Beasley was fouled with one second remaining on the shot clock sending him to the line where he made the pair to give Lenoir-Rhyne a 46-41 advantage with 59 seconds left on the game clock.
Klempin was fouled as he made one of two free throws to bring Tusculum within four at 46-42 with 44 seconds remaining.
L-R would make 5-of-8 free throws in the final 35 seconds to maintain a two-possession cushion down the stretch.
Tusculum out-shot (38.1%-33.3%) and out-rebounded (36-30) Lenoir-Rhyne, but its 11 misses at the charity stripe and some key rebound lapses doomed the Pioneers.
"Our effort tonight was so much better than Saturday (against Mars Hill). Our loss tonight came down to three things. We gave up three offensive rebounds on missed free throws; we fouled (B.J.) Beasley with the shot clock running out; and we missed 11 free throws. You can't do that, on the road in the South Atlantic Conference, against a good time like Lenoir-Rhyne, and expect to win," said Tusculum head coach Michael Jones.
The Pioneers missed their first eight 3-point attempts of the evening, but Steigerwald got Tusculum one more and drained the trey with 0.8 seconds remaining to provide the final margin. The trifecta extends the Pioneers streak of 686 consecutive games with at least one 3-point field goal made; a streak that began in the 1986-87 season.
Tusculum will wrap up its four-game road swing this Saturday with a 4 p.m. rematch with Newberry College. The Pioneers defeated the Wolves 76-70 on Dec. 10 in Greeneville.
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