GREENWOOD, S.C. --- Jasmine Gunn poured in a South Atlantic Conference-record 45 points, and set a trio of NCAA Division II marks to lead the Tusculum College women's basketball team to a 103-96 win over No. 20 Francis Marion University in the semifinal round of the Southeast Region Tournament on Saturday evening in Finis Horne Arena. The win propels the Pioneers into Monday's Southeast Region Championship for the first time in school history, and is Tusculum's third victory over a ranked opponent in the last week.
Tusculum (22-9) edged the Patriots (27-5) 43-42 on the boards, including a 29-17 margin on the defensive glass. The Pioneers also blocked a season-high eight shots, including a game-high five rejections by Catherine Hintz, which ties a career-best. Tusculum shot a blistering 55.4 percent from the field, including a 62.5 percent clip in the second half. The difference came at the free throw line, where the Pioneers converted 38-of-52 attempts (73.1 percent), while setting an NCAA Tournament record for chances at the charity stripe.
Gunn led all scorers with 45 points in 31 minutes, connecting on 11-of-15 attempts from the floor and converting a school-, conference-, and NCAA Division II Tournament-record 23 chances at the free throw line, while setting an NCAA Division II single-game mark with 29 free throw attempts. The Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year finished the night two markers shy of the program-record of 47 points, while becoming the first player in 10 years to breach the 40-point barrier for the Pioneers.
Hintz and Jasmine Parker joined Gunn with at least 20 points, marking the first time three Pioneers have scored 20 or more markers in the same game since last season. Hintz recorded a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Parker poured in a season-best 20 markers.
Senior Kat Spears also pulled down 10 rebounds to move into sixth place on the program's all-time list with 598 career boards. Freshman Kendal Baxter also scored in double figures for Tusculum, connecting on three shots from behind the arc to become the third player in program history to knock down at least 100 triples in a single season.
Nicole Mealing and Shannon Singleton-Bates each poured in 20 or more points for the Patriots, recording 29 and 21 markers, respectively. Eboni Fields and Precious Tucker joined Mealing and Singleton-Bates in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively, as Robin Colbert led the Patriots with 11 rebounds to go with a game-high seven assists.
The game started off fairly even with neither team leading by more than four points until, with Francis Marion trailing 10-8, the Patriots launched a 9-0 run to take a 17-10 lead on a layup by Mealing with 13:41 to go in the half. Francis Marion would stretch the lead to 24-15 with 10:54 remaining in the half before the Pioneers launched a 16-5 run, reclaiming the advantage at 31-29 on a three-point play by Gunn with 7:07 to play in the period. The Pioneers would hold the lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 49-44 lead into the intermission.
Tusculum continued to press the advantage in the second half, opening a 66-56 lead with a 17-12 spurt over the first five minutes of the period. The Pioneers would hold a double-digit advantage for much of the next 10 minutes, opening its largest lead of the game at 89-74 on a layup by Hintz with 5:05 to play. Francis Marion would battle back, cutting the lead to 98-92 with an 18-9 run before the Pioneers closed out the 103-96 win with some clutch free throw shooting.
The Pioneers return to the court on Monday when they will take on the winner of the second semifinal matchup between No. 5 seed Carson-Newman College and top-seeded Lander University in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament.
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