ANDERSON, S.C. --- Tusculum College's Kasey Johnson set a career high with 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double, but Anderson University came away with a 71-50 victory in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Monday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Johnson's 25 points surpassed her previous career best of 24 set against Coker on Feb. 13 of last season. Johnson, who scored 21 points in the first half, went 9-for-15 from the field and 7-for-8 from the foul line while adding two blocked shots and a steal in 36 minutes of playing time.
Jasmine Franklin led the Trojans (8-2, 5-1 SAC) with 20 points and seven rebounds and Heather Jankowy added 16 points as Anderson led from start to finish and held Tusculum to one field goal in the fourth quarter in defeating the Pioneers for the 11th consecutive meeting.
The Pioneers (2-8, 1-5 SAC) shot 38.3 percent (18-for-47) from the field but were 1-for-10 from three-point range and committed 23 turnovers, which the Trojans converted into 29 points.
A three-pointer from Madison Baggett gave the Trojans a 3-0 lead less than 90 seconds into the first quarter, and was followed by four points from Franklin on two free throws and a layup as Anderson led 7-0 with 2:11 gone in the game. Two free throws from Johnson put the Pioneers on the board at the 7:36 mark, and a three-point play from Johnson cut the deficit to 7-5 with 5:56 remaining in the quarter. Johnson tied the game at 12-12 on a basket with 3:03 remaining in the opening quarter, but Anderson scored five of the final six points to take a 20-15 lead after one period.
Johnson, who had 11 points in the first quarter, scored on her first shot of the second quarter to bring the Pioneers within 23-17, but the Trojans answered with 11 straight points to go on top 34-17 on a free throw by Nakia Young with 6:28 left in the half. The lead would swell to as many as 18 points before the Trojans went to the locker room with a 41-29 advantage.
Anderson shot an even 50 percent (14-for-28) from the field in the half, with Franklin leading the way with 12 points in 13 minutes. Johnson shot 7-for-12 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line to account for 21 of the Pioneers' 29 points, as Tusculum shot 9-for-21 from the floor and had 15 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Two baskets in the third quarter by Tusculum's Sydney Wilson trimmed the Anderson lead to 43-34 with 7:22 left in the period, but Jankowy scored eight points in the quarter as Anderson went ahead 57-40 with 2:29 left in the period. However, the Pioneers answered with eight straight points, including a three-pointer by Wilson, to pull within 57-48 heading to the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Trojans scored the first 14 points while the Pioneers were held to two points on 1-for-12 shooting, which came on a steal and basket by Monica Roberts with 1:12 left. Johnson attempted just three shots in the second half and had four points, while grabbing six rebounds to enable her to earn the sixth double-double of her career.
Wilson finished with nine points and three rebounds for the Pioneers, while Regan Croff had four points and five rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Callie Patterson and Jasmine Queen each had four points and three rebounds for the Pioneers. For Anderson, Baggett also finished in double figures with 11 points and had six rebounds, four assists and five steals in 38 minutes of playing time.
Anderson outrebounded Tusculum by a 37-32 margin, and converted 13 offensive rebounds into 16 points. The Trojans also had a 28-20 edge in points in the paint, while the Anderson bench had a 20-10 scoring advantage over Tusculum as Tamia Eatmon and Makayla Green had eight points each in a reserve role for the Trojans.
Tusculum will return to action after the new year when the Pioneers travel to Jefferson City to face Carson-Newman in SAC action on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.
