GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Senior Kyle Moore poured in 32 points and the Tusculum College men's basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic Conference with a 68-52 home win over Brevard College, Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena on TC's Senior Day.
The Pioneers (16-10, 10-5 SAC) win its fourth straight game and avenge December's 58-54 overtime loss to the Tornados (17-8, 9-5 SAC). Tusculum will travel to cross-mountain rival Mars Hill College on Wednesday with a chance to claim at least a share of the program's second SAC Championship.
Moore shot 11-of-23 from the floor, including 9-of-18 from three-point territory for his tenth 30-point game this year. The Gainesville, Fla. product established a new school and league single-season record with his 106 this year, breaking the SAC record he set last year (101) and the TC mark previously held by former All-Region forward Shane Banks (102 in 1997-98).
Tusculum junior Rob Troutman added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Justin Steigerwald tallied six points and a game-high seven assists.
Josh Roper led Brevard with his 15 points, while teammate Sam Carlisle added 13 points and a game-best eight rebounds. Nathan Whitmire finished with 10 markers and five rebounds, while Jonathan Whitson accounted for seven points and six boards in the loss.
The first half was hotly contested as the game was tied four times, while the lead changed hands on seven occasions. With the score tied 21-21 with 5:25 left in the first period, Moore and Troutman connected on three-pointers as Tusculum would later take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, BC whittled the deficit to one following back-to-back jumpers by Roper and Carlisle as TC led 34-33 with 13:43 remaining. The Pioneers responded with 15-5 spurt, all coming on five 3-pointers by Moore as Tusculum vaulted out to a 49-38 lead with 9:11 left on the clock.
Tusculum would maintain its double-digit lead down the stretch as the Pioneers made its last 10 free throws in the final four minutes of the contest.
Free throw shooting was one of the keys in Saturday's game. The Pioneers shot 14-of-18 (77.8%) from the charity stripe, including 10-of-11 (90.9%) in the second half. Brevard fired a dismal 41.2 percent from the line (7-of-17), including 4-of-13 (30.8%) in the final 20 minutes.
For the game, Tusculum shot 48.9 percent from the floor, including 11-of-19 in the second period (57.9%). TC also shot 10-of-23 from beyond the arc as Moore matched a personal career-best with nine treys (3rd time this season).
Moore has connected on a SAC record 295 career three-point field goals in his three seasons at Tusculum. He is 32 trifectas shy of the TC career mark held by Banks (327 from 1996-2000).
Saturday was the final regular-season home game for Tusculum seniors Kyle Moore, Jimmy Boone, Josh Bennett and Wes Taylor. The TC quartet has sparked the Pioneers to 63 victories and back-to-back winning campaigns
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