DURANGO, Colo. --- The Tusculum women's basketball team is ranked eighth in the D2SIDA Southeast Region Media Poll, through games of Nov. 19.

The Pioneers (4-0) are off to their best start since winning their first five games in the 2011-12 season, including wins over Belmont Abbey (77-55) and North Greenville (83-59) last week. Tusculum is outscoring its opponents by an average of 25 points per game, and ranks in the top 10 nationally in steals per game (16.5) and three-pointers per game (10.0).

Carson-Newman (5-0) received four of six first-place votes to earn the top spot in the region poll, followed by Wingate (3-0), Lander (2-1), Anderson (4-0) and Limestone (2-1) in the top five. The remainder of the top 10 consists of Columbus State (2-1), Francis Marion (3-1), Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial (2-2) and North Georgia (4-1). Tusculum is one of five South Atlantic Conference teams included in this week's Southeast Region poll, joining Carson-Newman, Wingate, Anderson and Lincoln Memorial.

Tusculum plays its first road game of the season on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Virginia State.