HARTSVILLE, S.C. --- Maddie Sutton scored a career-best 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her 11th consecutive double-double and Tusculum University took over sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic Conference with an 84-59 win at Coker University in women's basketball action Saturday from the DeLoach Center.
Jalia Arnwine added 22 points for the Pioneers (15-2, 15-2 SAC), who improved to 9-0 on the road and leaped Carson-Newman to the top of the league standings heading into the final week of the regular season. Tusculum can claim the top seed in the upcoming SAC Championship tournament with a victory at UVA Wise in their regular-season finale on Wednesday. The Eagles (14-2) lost 72-67 at Limestone on Saturday and finish their season at home against Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.
Tusculum broke an early 3-3 tie with an 8-0 run and led 46-24 at halftime over Coker. The Pioneers shot 48.3 percent (28-for-58) from the field while holding the Cobras to 33.8 percent for the contest. Tusculum's streak of nine straight road wins is tied for the fifth-longest current streak in Division II and is the most consecutive road victories for the Pioneers since winning nine straight away from home (six road, three neutral) during the 1995-96 season.
Sutton, who had set her career high of 32 points earlier this month in an 85-54 win at Queens on Feb. 8, shot 11-for-14 from the field and 11-for-12 from the foul line. Sutton's 11 rebounds gave her an 11th straight double-double and Division II-leading 15th of the season, and she added five assists in 38 minutes of playing time.
Arnwine, who drilled a career-high six three-pointers and scored 22 points in the Pioneers' 71-62 comeback win over Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, hit five from beyond the arc against Coker while surpassing the 20-point mark for the third time this season.
Emily Davis led the Cobras (7-11, 7-10 SAC) with 13 points and Raya Coley added 10, but Coker attempted just 11 foul shots after entering the game averaging a SAC-best 21.9 free throws per game.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Marta Rodrigues and Brianna Dixon gave the Pioneers a 9-3 lead with 6:52 left in the first quarter. A layup by Sutton extended the lead to 11-3 as the Cobras went nearly four minutes without a field goal after scoring on their opening possession of the game. Three more Tusculum three-pointers, one from Mya Belton and two by Arnwine, stretched the Tusculum advantage to 20-8 with 4:08 left in the quarter. Aliyah Miller hit the sixth three-pointer of the first quarter for the Pioneers at the buzzer as Tusculum led 29-14 after one period.
Davis hit a three-pointer for the Cobras on their opening possession of the second quarter, but Coker would go 3 1/2 minutes without a point as the Pioneers stretched their lead to 33-17. Coker trailed 38-24 following a layup by Valicia Demeritte with 4:55 left, but the Cobras would go scoreless the rest of the half on 0-for-8 shooting with three turnovers. Tusculum scored the final eight points of the quarter, capped by an Arnwine three, to take a 46-24 lead to the half.
Arnwine led all players with 15 points in the first half on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range, while Sutton had 14 points and seven rebounds. Tusculum shot an even 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field in the opening half and hit 8-for-13 from downtown. Davis and Demeritte shared the team lead with six points each for the Cobras, who shot 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from the floor and turned the ball over 10 times in the opening half.
Sutton continued her hot shooting in the third quarter, scoring 12 points on 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 at the foul line. The Pioneers led 58-33 following a free throw by Arnwine with 5:03 left in the quarter, and both teams went scoreless for the final 2:03 of the period after Sutton sank two foul shots with 2:06 to play. In the fourth quarter, Sutton tied her career high of 32 with a layup at the 4:25 mark, then set the mark by making the first of two free throws with 3:44 remaining.
Miller finished with eight points and five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers, while Rodrigues played all 40 minutes and logged three points, three rebounds and four assists. Belton and Dixon each had seven points for the Pioneers, with two points each off the bench in the closing minutes from Jordan Rogers and Averie Price.
For Coker, Ahlea Myers had nine points in 22 minutes off the bench on 3-for-14 shooting while Saquita Joyner had seven points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Coker was outrebounded by Tusculum 42-37, with Hope Richardson pacing the Cobras on the boards with seven in 16 minutes off the bench.
The Pioneers will travel to UVA Wise on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff, looking to earn the program's first SAC regular-season championship since 2010-11 and complete a perfect 10-0 season on the road. The Pioneers beat the Cavaliers 79-68 at home on Nov. 24 in what was the season opener for UVA Wise. The Cavaliers (12-4, 11-4 SAC) are in fourth place in the conference and are 7-2 at home this season, following a 75-53 loss to visiting Wingate on Saturday.
