NEWBERRY, S.C. --- Brianna Dixon scored a career-high 21 points and Maddie Sutton recorded her fourth straight double-double to open the season as Tusculum University remained undefeated with a 72-50 victory at Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Saturday at Eleazer Arena.
The Pioneers (4-0, 4-0 SAC) led from start to finish in opening the season 4-0 for the fourth consecutive year. Tusculum also moved to 4-0 in the SAC standings for the first time since the 2008-09 season by holding the Wolves to 32.1 percent (17-for-53) from the field and forcing Newberry into 21 turnovers. Tusculum led 22-8 after one quarter and held a double-digit lead through the final three periods in earning its third consecutive win at Eleazer Arena for the first time since winning four straight from 2000-01 through 2003-04.
Dixon easily surpassed her previous career best of 13 points set against Georgia College on Nov. 15, 2019 by shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 6-for-8 from the foul line for the Pioneers. Sutton became the first Tusculum player since Stephany Neptune in 2008-09 with four straight double-doubles, finishing with a season-high 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds along with three assists and three steals.
Marta Rodrigues reached double figures for the third straight game with 10 points for the Pioneers, while Jalia Arnwine battled through foul trouble to finish with eight points, five rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of playing time. Off the bench, Mya Belton tallied six points and Kirsten Click added five points while helping limit Payton Cronen, the Wolves' leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, to just three points in 27 minutes.
Newberry failed to place a player in double figures, with Julie Kinard and Mylaysia Gates sharing the team lead with nine points off the bench. Kelsey Brett added eight points as Newberry went 6-for-20 from three-point range and managed just seven second-chance points off 17 offensive rebounds.
Tusculum jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on a three-pointer from Rodrigues and a putback by Sutton. Five straight points from Dixon extended Tusculum's lead to 10-3 with 5:17 left in the first quarter, and the lead would grow to 14-6 with 3:24 remaining following buckets from Dixon and Click. Three-pointers from Belton and Rodrigues were part of an 8-0 run to end the quarter as Tusculum led 22-8 after one period.
Two foul shots from Dixon extended Tusculum's lead to 26-10 with 7:02 left in the second quarter. Rodrigues' third three-pointer of the first half gave the Pioneers a 33-16 lead with 4:19 to go in the half, and the lead would reach 19 points before Tusculum went to the locker room with a 40-22 advantage.
Dixon hit her season high in the first half with a game-high 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting for the Pioneers. Sutton added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds and Rodrigues added 10 points as the Pioneers shot 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) from the field in the opening half. Brett paced the Wolves with six points and Gates contributed five points for Newberry, which shot 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from the field and turned the ball over 14 times which led to 20 Tusculum points.
Tusculum missed its first seven shots of the third quarter before Aliyah Miller hit a three-pointer with 6:01 left in the period to give the Pioneers a 45-26 lead. Newberry went scoreless from the field for nearly 4 1/2 minutes, while the Pioneers extended their lead to 50-28 on a three-pointer from Dixon with 3:06 left in the quarter. A three-pointer from Click in the final seconds of the quarter sent the Pioneers to the fourth with a 57-34 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers blew the game open on three-pointers from Belton and Sutton, while the Wolves did not score a field goal for the first six minutes of the final period.
Tusculum entered the day leading the SAC in rebounding margin at plus-8.7 per game, but the Pioneers were outrebounded by the Wolves by a 41-37 margin. Courtney Virgo led the Wolves with seven boards while Mackenzie Miller added six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. Belton finished with a season-high six rebounds for the Pioneers, who had 16 offensive boards which they converted into 12 points in the game.
The Pioneers will seek their first 5-0 overall start since 2011-12 and their first 5-0 conference start since 2007-08 on Wednesday, when Tusculum visits Limestone for a 2 p.m. start against the Saints. Limestone, a 2020 NCAA Tournament qualifier, joined the SAC as a full-time member over the summer and earned its first league win on Saturday by defeating Coker 63-61. The Saints and Pioneers have met just once previously, a 93-75 Limestone win on Jan. 14, 1984 at the Timken Center in Gaffney.
