HICKORY, N.C. --- Maddie Sutton scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, and added 13 rebounds for her sixth straight double-double, as 21st-ranked Tusculum University outlasted Lenoir-Rhyne University 61-54 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Saturday at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
Aliyah Miller scored 14 points off the bench and Brianna Dixon added 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots for the Pioneers (11-1, 11-1 SAC), who let a double-digit lead slip away for the second straight game before pulling away again in the final minutes to improve to 6-0 on the road this season. The win was the fourth straight for Tusculum at Lenoir-Rhyne and the Pioneers' eighth consecutive victory in the series.
With the win, Tusculum remains atop the SAC standings as one of four teams in the league with one loss. UVA Wise (8-1) is second in the standings, followed by Carson-Newman (7-1) and Catawba (5-1). All three teams had their games postponed on Saturday due to COVID protocols.
Sutton's 18 points were one shy of her career high set at Newberry on Dec. 7, 2019 and came on 8-for-15 shooting from the field. With her 13 rebounds, Sutton, who played all 40 minutes, has registered a double-double in six straight games and an NCAA Division II-leading 10 times this season.
With Tusculum holding on to a 56-51 lead, Miller hit a three-pointer with 56.5 seconds left to extend the lead to eight. She added two free throws with 27.2 seconds left as the Pioneers shot 8-for-12 from the field in the fourth quarter while holding the Bears to 4-for-15 shooting in the period.
Ashley Woodroffe led the Bears (3-8, 3-8 SAC) with 12 points and Nakia Hooks added six points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Bears shot 48 percent (12-for-25) from the field in the first half but tapered off to 28.6 percent (8-for-28) in the second half to finish the contest at 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the floor.
Tusculum led by 14 points early in the second quarter, but Lenoir-Rhyne cut the deficit to three at halftime and took its first and only lead at 41-39 on two free throws by Woodroffe in the final minute of the third quarter. A three-pointer by Miller on the first possession of the fourth gave Tusculum the lead back for good, and the margin stayed at two possessions or more for the final 7 1/2 minutes.
Miller shot 5-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range while adding four rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes off the Tusculum bench. Dixon reached double figures for the third straight game by hitting 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Her four blocked shots tied her career high set against Anderson in last year's SAC Championship game.
Both teams were reckless with the ball in the early going, as seven straight possessions ended in turnovers before a layup from Jalia Arnwine put the Pioneers on the board first with just over two minutes gone. Arnwine scored six points as the Pioneers went out to a 10-2 lead with 3:13 left in the quarter, and a putback by Miller sent the Pioneers to the second quarter with a 16-6 advantage.
Dixon hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the second quarter, the latter giving Tusculum its largest lead at 22-8 with 9:05 left in the second quarter. A free throw by Arnwine left the Tusculum lead at 28-18 with 2:30 to go in the half, but Lenoir-Rhyne scored on its final four possession of the half to cut the Pioneer lead to 30-27 at halftime.
Arnwine led the Pioneers with seven points along with four steals in the first half as Tusculum shot 43.3 percent (13-for-30) from the field and 3-for-9 from three-point range. Miller, Dixon and Sutton each had six points in the first half, while Sutton led all players with six rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne was paced by Woodroffe and Sydney Wilson, who had eight points each in the first half.
Tusculum went up 35-29 on a three-pointer by Mya Belton with 8:07 left in the third quarter, but two free throws from Mallory Sherrill and a three-pointer from Korbin Tipton cut the Pioneer lead to 35-34 with 6:35 remaining. Sutton hit back-to-back layups for the Pioneers, but was answered by a jumper from Woodroffe and a three-pointer by Tipton, the latter tying the game at 39-39 with 5:03 remaining in the third. The teams then went ice-cold from the floor, with Tusculum missing seven straight shots and turning the ball over four times and Lenoir-Rhyne coming up empty on six straight shots from the field. Two free throws by Woodroffe ended the drought at nearly 4 1/2 minutes and gave the Bears a 41-39 lead heading to the fourth.
Miller canned a three on Tusculum's first possession of the fourth quarter to restore the Pioneer lead at 42-41, and Tusculum would build its lead to seven on baskets by Arnwine, Dixon and Sutton on three straight trips down the floor. Another Sutton basket gave the Pioneers a 52-44 lead with 4:32 left, but the Bears would come back to within five on a Hooks putback with 1:17 remaining. Miller then hit the dagger with 56.5 seconds left, and the Bears would not score again from the field until a Wilson layup with 13.0 seconds to go which set the final margin.
Arnwine finished with nine points on 4-for-11 shooting in 33 minutes for the Pioneers, while Belton finished with six points on a pair of three-pointers. Marta Rodrigues was held scoreless on six shot attempts, but dished out seven assists and blocked two shots in 37 minutes of action. Wilson was the only sub used by the Bears, and she finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench for Lenoir-Rhyne.
Tusculum held a 38-34 advantage in rebounding but went to the line a season-low eight times, making five free throws. Tusculum's 21 turnovers were two shy of its season high set at Limestone on Dec. 9, but Lenoir-Rhyne scored just seven points off the Pioneer miscues. The Pioneers finished with a season-high seven blocked shots, and their 12 steals were one off their season high set against Mars Hill on Jan. 13.
The Pioneers are scheduled to host Anderson on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum defeated Anderson 65-61 on the road on Jan. 9, snapping the Trojans' 37-game regular-season home winning streak while winning for the first time at Anderson since the 2010-11 season.
