MARS HILL, N.C. --- Senior center Catherine Hintz scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed a season-best 17 rebounds, but Tusculum College dropped its regular-season finale 80-66 at Mars Hill College in South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball action Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers (18-8, 14-4 SAC) had already clinched the top seed in next week's Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament, where they will face eighth-seeded Anderson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Pioneer Arena in a quarterfinal contest.

Jessica Jones scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Lions (17-9, 10-8 SAC), who are the fifth seed in the Food Lion SAC Tournament and will travel to Newberry in Wednesday's SAC quarterfinals.

Jasmine Gunn, playing in her school-record 121st game at Tusculum, scored 17 first-half points but sat out the entire second half. In the second half, the Lions outscored the Pioneers 48-28 while shooting 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, and went 15-for-17 from the foul line.

Hintz shot 12-for-24 from the field and went 8-for-10 at the foul line, breaking her previous career high of 24 points set against Mars Hill on January 27, 2010. Hintz also set career highs for field goals and free throws both made and attempted, and also grabbed a career-best 11 offensive rebounds in her final regular-season game.

Joining Jones in double figures for Mars Hill were Tyler Carlson, with 19 points, and Brittini Young, who tallied 11 points and dished out five assists. Carlson went 3-for-3 from three-point range while Young was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw stripe.

Tusculum led 38-32 at halftime behind 17 points from Gunn and 11 from Hintz, but the Lions went on a 13-2 run over a four-minute span to go ahead 53-46 when Margaret Harvey hit two free throws with 11:28 remaining.

The Pioneers pulled within three at 62-59 on a jumper by Linda Aughburns with 4:22 remaining, only to see Young scored seven points during a 12-2 run that gave Mars Hill a 72-61 lead with 2:59 left.

Aughburns finished with five points, 10 rebounds and four steals for the Pioneers, reaching double figures in rebounds for the ninth time this season. Over the past eight games, Aughburns has recorded 30 steals (3.75 per game).

- TC -