GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University erased a 16-point deficit and outscored Anderson University 26-9 in the fourth quarter as the Pioneers upset the nationally-ranked Trojans 76-69 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena.
Ni'Kiah Chesterfield finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and Carleigh Wilson added career high of 15 points and nine rebounds for the Pioneers (3-3, 1-0 SAC), who trailed 57-41 late in the third quarter before closing the game with a 35-12 run over the final 13 minutes to stun the Trojans (6-1, 0-1 SAC), who were ranked 21st in the WBCA Division II national poll and 14th in the D2CSC rankings this week.
Four players reached double figures for the Trojans, led by double-doubles from Diamond McDowell (17 points, 14 rebounds) and Nelliah Wilson (14 points, 14 rebounds). Brittney Stafford added 15 points and Zamiya Passmore had 10 points and five rebounds along with six assists for Anderson, which shot 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) from the field in the fourth quarter.
The victory for the Pioneers was their first over a ranked opponent since a 54-38 win against North Georgia on Dec. 8, 2021, aided by the Trojans going 0-for-12 from three-point range in the game. Tusculum had not held an opponent without a three-pointer since Feb. 10, 2016 against Lincoln Memorial.
Tusculum shot 53.1 percent (17-for-32) from the field in the second half to end up at 43.2 percent (32-for-74) for the game. The Pioneers were just 10-for-21 at the foul line in the contest, including 5-for-10 in the fourth quarter, but both Lexi Patty and Aaliyah Vananda went 2-for-2 at the line in the final 30 seconds.
Vananda finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists along with two steals in 27 minutes for the Pioneers, while Jenna Kallenberg and Artasia Cole each finished with eight points off the Tusculum bench. Patty had six points and four rebounds, with four points and eight rebounds from Maddison Zugna and four points from Simona Henshaw. Tusculum's bench outscored Anderson by a 31-6 margin in the game.
Tusculum did not lead until a three-pointer from Vananda with 4:47 left gave the Pioneers a 66-64 lead. Anderson would tie the game at 66 and 68 before Cole gave the Pioneers the lead for good on a layup with 2:49 remaining, which triggered an 8-1 game-ending run for the Pioneers. Anderson did not score a field goal in the final 3:43 after a jumper from Stafford tied the game, with their only point on a free throw by Stafford with 1:33 left.
Anderson made its first four shots and sprinter to a 12-4 lead after 4 1/2 minutes. McDowell, who had 10 points in the opening quarter for the Trojans, stretched the Anderson lead to 25-11 with two foul shot with 1:30 left in the quarter, but a three-point play from Chesterfield with 30 seconds left helped the Pioneers pull within 25-16 after one period.
The Trojans went ahead 33-20 on a jumper by Stafford with 6:52 left in the opening half, but the Pioneers went on a 10-2 run that included three straight baskets from Wilson to move within 37-32 with 2:17 left in the half. Tusculum would miss its final six shots from the field and trail Anderson 43-33 at halftime.
Stafford led the Trojans with 12 points while McDowell had 10 points and eight rebounds as Anderson shot an even 50 percent (19-for-38) from the field. The Pioneers shot 35.7 percent (15-for-42) as a team, with Chesterfield leading with nine points and Wilson adding six points along with five boards.
Anderson's lead stayed in double figures for the entire third quarter, reaching 16 points at 57-41 on a steal and layup by McDowell with 3:23 left in the period. The Trojans would score just one more basket the rest of the quarter as the Pioneers crept within 60-50 following two free throws from Chesterfield with three seconds to play in the period.
A Wilson putback on the first possession of the fourth quarter dropped the Anderson lead to single digits, and was part of an 11-2 run that brought the Pioneers within 62-61 on a foul shot by Wilson with 6:35 remaining. A jumper by Passmore with 6:08 left was answered by Wilson, and after two Anderson misses the Pioneers gained the lead at 66-64 on a step-back three-pointer from Vananda with 4:47 to go. Anderson tied the game 66-66 on a jumper by Ashlyn Sheridan with 4:21 left, but a short jumper from Chesterfield put Tusculum back on top with 4:03 remaining.
Stafford would re-tie the game at 68-68 on a jumper with 3:43 left, but Cole made a driving layup with 2:49 to go to push the Tusculum lead to 70-68. Zugna converted a putback with 2:07 left for a 72-68 Tusculum lead, but Stafford made one free throw with 1:33 left to pull Anderson within 72-69. Vananda drew a charge on Sheridan with 1:14 to go, and Stafford missed a tying three-pointer with 36 seconds left. After two missed free throws by Tusculum, Vananda knocked the ball away from McDowell with 24 seconds left which led to two free throws from Patty for a 74-69 Pioneer lead. Vananda would seal the win with two more foul shots with 3.1 seconds to go.
Cole played a season-high 24 points for the Pioneers and went 4-for-7 from the field to go along with four assists and three rebounds. All 11 players who saw action for the Pioneers scored at least one point. Chesterfield, who reached double figures for the fourth time in six games, was 7-for-16 from the field to surpass her previous career high of 13 points set Nov. 17 at North Georgia.
Anderson had a 49-45 rebounding edge over Tusculum, including 18 offensive rebounds which the Trojans turned into 18 second-chance points. Tusculum committed 14 turnovers in the game, with just one in the fourth quarter, while Anderson had five of its 17 turnovers in the decisive final period.
After a break for finals, the Pioneers will head to the road to face Coker on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. in Hartsville, South Carolina. The Cobras (6-1, 1-0 SAC) beat Emory & Henry 78-74 in their SAC opener on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
