Three double-doubles boost Pioneers to 72-64 exhibition win over Alice Lloyd

Three double-doubles boost Pioneers to 72-64 exhibition win over Alice Lloyd

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University pulled away in the fourth quarter and defeated Alice Lloyd College 72-64 in women's basketball exhibition action Tuesday afternoon at Pioneer Arena.

Jasmine Williams came off the bench and finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Pioneers, who trailed midway through the third quarter before going on a 14-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter to put away the Eagles.

Mia Long also had a double-double for the Pioneers with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals to go along with five assists, as did Maddie Sutton with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tusculum outrebounded Alice Lloyd by a 51-42 margin, helped in large part by 25 offensive rebounds which the Pioneers turned into 21 points.

Tusculum finished the game at 33.8 percent (26-for-77) from the field and 5-for-30 from three-point range as a team, while Alice Lloyd shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) but went 10-for-22 from beyond the arc. The Eagles turned the ball over 27 times, which the Pioneers were able to convert into 23 points.

Haley Hall was the lone player in double figures for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 23 points including five three-pointers. Bailee Brainard added nine points and six rebounds and Makayla Akers had a team-high eight rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench for Alice Lloyd.

Williams shot 7-for-16 from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line to come within one point of her career high of 18 points set at Newberry on Feb. 2 of last season, and her six blocks would be a career best. Long's 10 rebounds would have been a career high for a regular-season game, while her eight steals would have equaled her personal best set last season against Coker.

There were three ties and four lead changes in the first quarter, with Tusculum leading by three points on three different occasions. A bucket by Williams just before the buzzer lifted Tusculum into a 13-13 tie after Hall had given Alice Lloyd a 13-11 lead with a three-pointer moments earlier.

The Pioneers went up by nine points as 25-16 on a three-pointer by Brianna Dixon with 6:24 left in the first half, but the Eagles clawed back to within 27-25 on a free throw by Jasmine Eley with 2:59 remaining. A three-point play by Long helped the Pioneers to a 34-30 lead at halftime.

Aliyah Miller was the leading scorer for Tusculum in the first half with seven points, while Williams and Sydney Wilson had six points apiece. The Pioneers shot 13-for-38 (34.2 percent) from the field in the half, while the Eagles were 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) led by Hall's nine points.

Tusculum led 37-30 following a free throw by Long with 8:23 left in the third quarter, but Alice Lloyd came roaring back to take the lead on consecutive threes by Hall, Brainard and Hall again, the latter giving the Eagles a 42-41 lead with 6:38 left in the third. Sutton would give Tusculum the lead back for good with two free throws on the Pioneers' next trip, sparking an 8-0 run that was capped by a Miller layup with 4:09 left in the third.

The Pioneers led 56-52 entering the fourth quarter, with Jayla Spurlock scoring for the Eagles on the first possession of the period. However, Alice Lloyd would go 0-for-5 with six turnovers over the next six minutes as Long scored six points during Tusculum's 12-0 surge. Trailing 70-54 with 4:01 left, Alice Lloyd went on a quick 8-0 run to pull within 70-62 with 2:39 to go, but two free throws by Ali May with 22 seconds left would be the final points of the day for the Eagles.

Miller played 14 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers and had nine points and a pair of rebounds. Tusculum's bench outscored the Alice Lloyd reserves by a 33-17 margin, and the Pioneers had a 24-17 edge in fast break scoring and a 38-22 lead in points in the paint.

Tusculum will resume its South Atlantic Conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Pioneer Arena against Anderson, beginning at 2 p.m. The Trojans, who are ranked 19th in the latest WBCA Division II poll, are also 9-2 and are tied for second place in the SAC with the Pioneers at 4-1, trailing Catawba (4-0).