GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University's Trenton Gibson recorded the second triple-double of his career to lead the Pioneers to an 85-73 South Atlantic Conference victory over Catawba College Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena.
Gibson finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first player in program history to record two triple-doubles in a career. His first triple-double came on Nov. 8, 2019 when he tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a season-opening win against USC Aiken.
For a second straight game, the Pioneers (9-4, 9-2 SAC) overcame an 11-point deficit as TU records its fourth consecutive win and remains tied for first place in the conference standings. Catawba (5-7, 4-6 SAC) who was seeing its first action in 21 days, has its three-game winning streak halted. TU also completes the season-sweep over the Catawba Indians and have won four in a row over their league foes from Salisbury.
TU's Brandon Mitchell scored a season-high 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting while also hauling in 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the year and 13th of his career. Sophomore Inady Legiste tallied 19 points, while Justin Mitchell recorded 13 markers in the TU victory.
Catawba's Caleb Robinson led the Tribe with a game-high 23 points as he continues to lead the league in scoring raising his SAC-best average to 21.4 markers per outing. Michael Hueitt, Jr. added 15 points off the bench, while Bernard Pelote finished with 10 points in the loss.
Catawba scored the first five points of the game and later used a 14-5 spurt to take its largest lead of the game at 24-13 at the 10:54 mark following back-to-back 3-pointers from Hueitt and Ben Bowen.
Gibson answered with a three-pointer for Tusculum, but Robinson followed with a fast-break layup, but Catawba's Myles Washington was assessed a technical foul for taunting on the play. Gibson would make the two free throws to make it a 26-18 game.
Both teams would come up empty on their next two trips up the floor, until Pelote fired in a one-handed slam dunk off a rebound for a 28-18 Catawba lead.
TU would close out the period with 22-9 run over the final nine minutes to take a 40-37 lead into the locker room.
Tusculum extended the run to 24-9 as Brandon Mitchell opened the period with a dunk as the Pioneers extended their lead 42-37. But back came Catawba as the visitors went on a 12-6 spurt over a span of 6:14 to retake the lead at 49-48 following a Robinson tip-in.
Legiste converted a three-point to regain the lead for Tusculum but the Tribe answered with six in a row on layups by Peyton Gerald and Trevion Lamar and a two free throw makes by Hueitt to take a 55-51 advantage with 10:48 remaining in the contest.
TU scored four straight as Vedder came up with an offense board and putback and James West IV came up with a steal and scored on a fast-break layup to tie the game at 55-55 with 10:07 to go. Washington and the Indians retook the lead with his jumper but West converted another steal into points as Gibson's bucket tied the game for a fourth time at 57-57 at the 8:49 mark of the half.
The team's traded baskets again as Lamar came up with a steal and basket for a two-point Catawba lead, but Brandon Mitchell followed with another dunk on a pass from Jalen Crowder to knot the score at 59-59 with under eight minutes remaining.
Coming out of a timeout, Robinson went coast-to-coast on put down a one-hand jam for a 61-59 Catawba lead.
Gibson and Legiste connected on back-to-back three-pointers and Justin Mitchell made back-to-back layups to spark a 10-0 Tusculum run as the Pioneers led 69-61 with 5:35 remaining.
Lamar would later drill a three-pointer from the right corner to make it a 71-66 contest with 4:56 left on the clock. But the Pioneers would open up a double-digit lead thank to a 6-0 run which included four markers form Brandon Mitchell including a dunk as TU extended its advantage out to 77-66 with 2:09 left.
Robinson would be fouled as he made a pair of free throws to make it a nine-point game (77-68), but that would be as close as Catawba would get.
The Pioneers outscored the Indians 52-30 in the paint and won the rebound-battle by a 46-28 margin, including 15-5 on the offensive glass, resulting into 19 second-chance points for the home team.
TU finished the game shooting 49.3 percent including a sizzling 20-of-35 in the second half (57.1%). TU also went 12-of-16 from the foul line including 6-of-6 by Gibson as he extends his consecutive free throw makes streak to 21 in a row.
Brandon Mitchell achieved a personal milestone on Saturday as he became only the fourth player in school history with 700 rebounds in a career (706).
Gibson's triple-double marks the third one in recorded school history. The first was posted by two-sport standout Mason Fox, who notched 10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists on Jan. 28, 2015 against Mars Hill.
Gibson, who has notched at least a double-double in each of his last three contests, eclipsed 1,400 career points as his 1,413 markers are the 11th-most in Tusculum history. He has scored in double-figures in 23 consecutive games last season, while recording his 11 career double-double and 23rd game with at least 20 points.
Tusculum will be on the road for a pair of games next week, traveling to Mars Hill University on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Stanford Arena before making its longest trip of the league season as the go to Coker University next Saturday.
