GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Connor Jordan made four free throws in the final 14.7 seconds of the game as Tusculum posted a hard-fought 80-75 win over Anderson Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena in the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams.
The Pioneers (3-3, 1-0 SAC) overcame a 12-point first half deficit to the Trojans as Tusculum records its eighth consecutive win over Anderson including four straight at Pioneer Arena.
Jordan finished the game with 14 points while teammate Josiah Morris buried a career-best five 3-pointers for his 15 points including three in the second half that sparked a key 17-4 run for the Pioneers.
Anderson's Jacksen Greco scored a team-high 15 points as he went 7-of-10 from the floor, while Cole Middleton finished with 13 points. AU's Cole Middleton and Mack Burgett scored 13 and 12 points, respectively for the Trojans (3-3, 0-1 SAC).
Anderson went 31-of-62 from the floor for 50 percent, but went 5-of-17 from three-point territory (29%) and 8-of-14 from the free throw line (57%).
Tusculum overcame a sluggish 12-for-32 (38%) in the first half, and shot 52 percent (16-of-31) in the final period including 6-of-14 from three-point land (43%). TU went 15-of-22 from the foul line (15-of-22) including 8-of-12 in the final four minutes.
Anderson opened the game with a 20-10 run in the first 7:02 of the contest, while included a 13-4 spurt which was capped off by five points by Greco. TU trimmed the deficit to two (20-18) thanks to an 8-0 run.
The Trojans later used a 10-0 run of their own sparked by a pair of Greco baskets to give AU its largest lead of the game at 32-20 with 3:33 left in the first half.
The Pioneers closed out the half with an 11-1 run including a jumper by Jordan just before halftime as Anderson led 33-31 at the intermission.
AU's Cole Middleton drained a three-pointer to start the second half and extend the lead to 36-31. But the Pioneers went on a 17-4 run over the next 3:53 to take their largest lead of the game at 48-40. The run included three Morris triples and a coast-to-coast fast-break layup by senior Jacob Hobbs at the 15:39 mark of the period.
After an Anderson timeout, the Trojans put the defensive clamps down on the Pioneers and scored 11 unanswered points to take a 51-48 lead with 12:23 remaining. During the run, Anderson forced five turnovers and converted every TU miscue into points.
Tusculum's TJ Printup stopped the run with his layup and Travis Pourciau got a key offensive rebound and bucket to put the Pioneers in front, 52-51 with 11:32 to go.
Cole Middleton got the lead back for the visitors with his basket, but Pourciau answered again with a clutch three-pointer as TU led 55-53 with 10:19 remaining.
The teams traded baskets and Anderson would tie the game at 57-57 following an AJ Wright layup with 9:20 on the scoreboard.
Tusculum senior Kobe Funderburk made one of two free throws to put the Pioneers ahead by one, but AU's James Repass canned a basket as the Trojans led 59-58.
Funderburk hit a three-pointer to spark a 9-2 run by the Pioneers, who would never trail for the rest of the game. TU's Akeem Odusipe followed Funderburk's triple with a slam dunk, KJ Crump hit a pair of free throws and Printup converted a layup as the Pioneers led 67-61 with 6:37 left.
Middleton got a rebound a put-back for Anderson, but Bryce Jackson buried a three-pointer following a steal by Jordan as the Pioneers led 70-63 with 5:24 remaining.
AU's Mack Burgett converted a layup, while Odusipe answered with one of his own, which would give Tusculum a 72-65 lead with 4:38 remaining. It would be TU's final field goal make of the game.
Middleton made two free throws while Crump made his two free throw tries to make it a 74-67 TU lead with 4:11 to go.
Tusculum would lead 75-69 with 3:11 remaining before Anderson went on a 7-1 run to trim the deficit to one at 76-75 with 1:19 remaining. Four points came on steal and layups by Austin Webb and later a Middleton theft which led to a Garrett Denbow basket with 1:19 remaining to trail by one.
The Pioneers came up empty on their next possession when Greco blocked a Printup layup with 49 seconds left. But Printup would come up with a game-winning steal with 24 seconds left and the Trojans would foul Jordan with 14.7 seconds left.
Jordan would make both free throws to extend the TU lead to 78-75. Anderson would work the ball around to get a game-tying three-pointer off but a turnover with 2.6 seconds left would give the ball back to the Pioneers.
Jordan would clinch the game with his two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to secure the victory.
Printup and Pourciau each finished with nine points, while Odusipe, Crump and Jackson tallied eight markers apiece. Crump matched a career-high with his six assists for a second straight game. Printup hauled in seven rebounds for the Pioneers while Odusipe accounted for six boards as TU won the rebound battle by a 38-35 margin.
Tusculum head coach JT Burton records his 87th win with the Pioneers and needs one more victory to move into a tie for third all-time with former TU skipper Jim Boone who posted 88 wins from 2005-2011. Saturday's win was also the 16th by the Pioneers during the Burton era while erasing a double-digit deficit.
Tusculum will be preparing for final exams next week and will return to action next Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Coker for a 5 p.m. contest in Hartsville, South Carolina.
