MARS HILL, N.C. --- Cadence Wilmoth had game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds and Mars Hill University went on a 13-0 run at the end of the first period to defeat Tusculum College 65-50 in South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball action Wednesday night at Stanford Arena.

Four players finished in double figures in scoring for the Lions (15-11, 14-7 SAC), who clinched a home game in the quarterfinals of next week's SAC Tournament with the victory over the Pioneers.

Shynese Whitener scored 16 points and had six rebounds and seven steals for the Pioneers (12-12, 10-11 SAC), who fell into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference with Lenoir-Rhyne heading into Saturday's season finale. The Pioneers shot 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the field in the game, including 5-for-23 from three-point range.

Tusculum will go into Saturday's home game against Queens needing a victory over the Royals and a loss by Lenoir-Rhyne at home against Mars Hill to assure themselves a berth in the SAC Tournament. The Pioneers defeated the Royals 74-55 in Charlotte on Jan. 16 in the teams' first meeting, while Lenoir-Rhyne lost at Mars Hill 55-52 the same day. The Bears defeated Queens 72-47 Wednesday night on the road to tie the Pioneers for eighth place at 10-11 in the conference.

Kelsey Espinosa finished with 14 points and six rebounds for the Lions, while Paige Chavis had 13 points and six boards. South Greene grad Ansley Ricker added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Lions, who shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field.

For the Pioneers, Kasey Johnson had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds to go along with a season-high five assists. Maelyn Head matched her former Lady Rebel teammate Ricker with 11 points, while adding five rebounds and four assists.

Tusculum jumped out to a 10-5 lead behind three-pointers from Sydney Wilson and Head, along with back-to-back field goals from Whitener. The Pioneers led 12-8 after another basket from Whitener with 4:00 left in the first period but would not score again in the quarter, missing their final six shot attempts. Meanwhile, the Lions scored 13 unanswered points to take a 21-12 lead at the end of the quarter. Ricker scored seven points during the surge, including a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining.

Mars Hill would build a 16-point lead at 32-16 on a layup by Wilmoth with 5:56 left in the second quarter, but the Pioneers cut the margin to nine points at 34-25 on a three-pointer by Whitener with 1:17 left in the half. Chavis led the Lions with 13 points in the first half as Mars Hill held a 36-27 advantage at the break. Whitener had 11 points for the Pioneers while Johnson added eight, as Tusculum shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field but did not get to the foul line.

Tusculum was able to trim the deficit to six points at 38-32 on a foul shot by Whitener with 7:49 left in the third quarter, but baskets from Wilmoth and Espinosa pushed the Mars Hill lead back to double figures. Wilmoth and Genice Lane scored four points apiece during a late 8-0 run that gave the Lions a 55-39 lead entering the fourth quarter, and Tusculum would get no closer than 14 points over the final 10 minutes.

With her 16 points, Whitener became the 13th player in school history to surpass 1,200 career points (1,202). She also reached double figures in scoring for the 31st time in her last 34 games and her seven steals were one shy of her season and career high of eight set against Lees-McRae on Nov. 13. Wilson finished with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Pioneers, while Kristen McMillion had seven rebounds before fouling out after 30 minutes of playing time.

Mars Hill finished the game with a 41-39 advantage in rebounding, and had 18 turnovers to 15 by the Pioneers. Both teams finished with 17 points off turnovers, while the Lions had a 30-22 edge in points in the paint.

Tusculum will celebrate Senior Day following Saturday's game with Queens in honor of Whitener, McMillion and Michala Hash. Saturday will also be the annual "Play4Kay" game to raise breast cancer awareness. Tipoff at Pioneer Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.

- TC -