HICKORY, N.C. --- A second-quarter surge gave Lenoir-Rhyne University a lead it would not relinquish in a 71-59 victory over Tusculum College in a South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Shuford Gymnasium.

Brooke Robinson and Morgan Cooper scored 14 points apiece for the Bears (7-12, 6-9 SAC), who outscored the Pioneers 16-4 over a five-minute span of the second quarter to turn a 12-12 tie into a 26-16 lead. Tusculum would pull as close as four points in the third quarter and within six at the start of the fourth quarter, but Lenoir-Rhyne pulled away each time to defeat the Pioneers at home for the fourth straight time.

Kasey Johnson scored a season-high 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting for the Pioneers (10-9, 8-8 SAC), while Maelyn Head matched her career best by going 10-for-10 at the foul line en route to 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Shynese Whitener reached double figures for the 28th time in the last 30 games as she netted 11 points for the Pioneers.

The teams were nearly even statistically, with Lenoir-Rhyne finishing the game at 38.7 percent (24-for-62) from the field and 17-for-19 at the foul line, and Tusculum at 35.0 percent (21-for-60) from the floor and 15-for-17 at the stripe. However, the Bears turned their 14 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points, while the Pioneers pulled 12 offensive boards but could only convert them into four points.

Lenoir-Rhyne led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter, but back-to-back layups by Johnson gave Tusculum the lead at 12-10 early in the second period. A putback by Robinson tied the game at 12-12, followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Justyce Swango and Jordan Hiatt which gave the Bears an 18-12 lead with 6:35 to play in the half. Lenoir-Rhyne would take its largest lead of the half at 26-16 on a three-pointer by Farrah Young with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter, but Head scored seven points in a little over a minute to help Tusculum pull with 32-27 at halftime.

Johnson led all players with 12 points in the first half for the Pioneers, who shot 10-for-33 from the field as a team. Cooper was the leading scorer for the Bears in the first half with nine points, while Robinson had six points and a game-high six rebounds. Lenoir-Rhyne shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field in the first half, including 5-for-12 from three-point range.

The Pioneers trimmed the deficit to 34-30 on a three-point play by Johnson on their first possession of the third quarter, and trailed 39-34 after a basket by Sydney Wilson with 4:23 remaining in the period. However, baskets from Madi Suddreth, Robinson and Kendall Toineeta gave the Bears a 45-34 lead with 2:51 remaining in the quarter before the Pioneers rallied to pull within 47-39 as the fourth quarter began.

Johnson converted a layup at the start of the final period to bring the Pioneers back within six, but Lenoir-Rhyne was able to stretch the lead back out to 56-44 with 6:45 to go. The Pioneers got within single digits one final time after two free throws from Jasmine Queen with 6:09 remaining, but the Bears went 9-for-10 at the foul line over the final 4:40 to preserve their advantage.

In addition to surpassing her career high of 18 points set against Carson-Newman on January 6, Johnson also equaled her personal best with four assists. The freshman, who also grabbed seven rebounds, played all 40 minutes for the second time in as many games this week.

Head, who also played all 40 minutes, posted a season-high six rebounds for the Pioneers and had a season-best five assists. Kristen McMillion led the Pioneers with 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, despite playing just 25 minutes due to foul trouble.

Robinson posted a double-double for the Bears with a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with her 14 points. Marie Ritchie added eight points off the bench for the Bears, whose substitutes outscored the Pioneer reserves by a 23-6 margin. Cooper added a game-high four steals for Lenoir-Rhyne, while Swango finished the game with nine points and four rebounds.

The Pioneers return home to face Lincoln Memorial University on Wednesday evening beginning at 6 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum lost 72-57 to the Railsplitters in Harrogate in the teams' first meeting on January 21.

- TC -