Jai Jai McLaughlin recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 14
rebounds and 13 assists to boost Carson-Newman University to an
88-72 victory over Tusculum College Wednesday night in South
Atlantic Conference Women's basketball action at Pioneer Arena.
Kaitlyn Cupples had a game-high 19 points, 11 rebounds and four
blocked shots for the first-place Eagles (12-5, 9-2 SAC), who
connected on 10 three-pointers and led by as many as 27 points to
claim the victory over the Pioneers.
Shynese Whitener scored 17 points to lead the Pioneers (1-14, 1-10
SAC) while Elise Coberly scored all of her season-high 16 points in
the second half for Tusculum, which shot 32.4 percent (23-for-71)
from the field and committed 21 turnovers which led to 22 points
for the Eagles.
Five players reached double figures for the Eagles, as Tatum
Burstrom hit five three-pointers and scored 18 points, Chante
Markus notched 14 points and Jassmine Franklin contributed 11
points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Overall,
Carson-Newman shot 45.9 percent (34-for-74) but grabbed 52
rebounds, blocked eight Tusculum shots and came up with 16 steals
in the victory.
McLaughlin collected her 10th rebound with 14:23 left in the second
half and dished out her 10th assist with 13:38 remaining. After
reaching nine points on a layup with 9:42 left, she missed three
shot attempts before finally earning the triple-double by hitting
the second of two free throws with just over 20 seconds left.
Tusculum led 2-0 following a jumper by Brianna Mitchell on the
opening possession of the game, but Carson-Newman grabbed the lead
for good on a three-pointer by Markus exactly one minute into the
contest. The Pioneers trailed 15-11 following a basket by Whitener
with 11:57 left in the first half, but the Eagles went on an 11-0
run to take a 26-11 lead on a three-pointer from Lacy Miller with
8:21 to go in the half.
Carson-Newman stretched the lead out to 21 points at 44-23 on a
Franklin putback with one minute left in the half, and took a 44-27
advantage to the locker room as 11 points from Cupples and 10 from
Franklin were part of a 52.8 percent shooting effort (19-for-36)
from the Eagles. The Pioneers were led by Whitener and Blakeley
Burleson who had six points each in the half, but the team shot
20.6 percent (7-for-34) from the field and missed on all five
three-point attempts.
The Eagles stormed out of the locker room with 10 straight points
to go on top 54-27 on a three-pointer by Burstrom with 18:32 to go.
Tusculum answered with a 15-3 run, sparked by a pair of Coberly
three-pointers, to cut the deficit to 57-42 with 15:06 left.
Coberly, who saw limited action in the first half, played 16
minutes in the second half and went 6-for-8 from the field and
4-for-5 from three-point range to surpass her season high of 12
points set Nov. 30 at Clayton State.
Tusculum outscored Carson-Newman 45-44 in the second half and shot
43.2 percent from the field (16-for-37), including 6-for-13 from
beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Eagles were 39.5 percent (15-for-38)
from the field but nailed six of their 11 three-point attempts to
maintain their lead.
Kristen McMillion had a solid all-around game for the Pioneers with
seven points, a team-high 12 rebounds and five steals in 34 minutes
of action. McMillion, the SAC leader in rebounding at 10.1 boards
per game, reached double figures on the glass for the ninth time
this season and the seventh time in the last nine games. Her five
steals also marked the fourth time this season she has had five or
more steals in a game.
Nequoiah Anderson added 12 points in 33 minutes off the bench,
while Burleson was the fourth player to score in double figures for
the Pioneers as she netted 10 points to go along with five rebounds
and three assists. Whitener, who played all but one minute of the
game, also had five rebounds, four assists, three steals and two
blocked shots for Tusculum.
The Pioneers will return to the road Saturday when they make their
first trip to conference newcomer Coker. Tipoff from Hartsville,
S.C. is scheduled for 2 p.m.
