BREVARD, N.C. --- Tusculum College hit four foul shots with 1:18 remaining to regain the lead for good, then held on for a 78-77 victory at Brevard College in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night at Boshamer Gymnasium.

The Pioneers (9-9, 5-8 SAC) led by 11 points in the second half, but the Tornados (2-15, 1-10 SAC) rallied behind Demarcus Threatt, who scored a game-high 36 points but missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Darius Carter led Tusculum with 26 points to go along with five rebounds, while Cory Fagan added 13 points and six rebounds. Chase Mounce finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, including two free throws that gave the Pioneers a 76-75 lead, and Javon Price also reached double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds.

Threatt, who played all 40 minutes for Brevard, went 13-for-25 from the field and hit four three-pointers for the Tornados. He was joined in double figures by Miles Leathers, who had 12 points and five rebounds. Alex Moe added seven points, 15 rebounds and four assists for the Tornados, who were outrebounded 47-41 by the Pioneers but committed just seven turnovers in the game.

Carter shot 10-for-20 from the field and matched his season and career high with five three-pointers for the Pioneers. His 26 points mark the sixth time this season that he has surpassed the 20-point mark, and over the last six games he is averaging 20.0 points per game.

Tusculum led 55-44 following a three-pointer by Carter with 15:50 remaining in the game, but Brevard scored 21 of the next 30 points to take a 65-63 lead on three free throws by Threatt with 8:37 remaining. Tusculum would eventually restore a three-point lead at 70-67 on a jumper by Mounce with 6:48 left, but their lead would get no larger. A tip-in by Mounce with 5:28 to play pushed the Pioneer lead to 72-69, but that would be their final field goal of the game.

Brevard regained the lead at 75-74 on two free throws by Leathers with 1:36 to go, but Mounce answered with two foul shots with 1:18 left to put the Pioneers back in front 76-75. As the second free throw was made, the officials called a flagrant foul on Brevard's Moe as he tried to box out Zach Davis of Tusculum. Davis made both foul shots to extend the Pioneer lead to 78-75.

A basket by Threatt cut the deficit to 78-77 with 1:01 left, and a missed shot from the Pioneers gave the Tornados the ball with a chance to regain the lead. However, a fast-break pass down the court was snagged by a leaping Kendall Patterson to help Tusculum hold onto the one-point margin. Following a missed Tusculum free throw, Brevard had the ball with the chance to win but Threatt misfired on a three-pointer and the Pioneers played keep away for the final seven seconds to escape with the victory.

The Pioneers got out to an early 9-5 lead behind two three-pointers from Fagan and one from Carter, but three straight three-pointers from Threatt, D.J. Bostick and Moe were the spark of an 11-1 run that gave the Tornados a 16-10 lead after just four minutes.

Brevard led 22-14 after a four-point play by Threatt with 14:30 left in the first half, but the Pioneers scored nine unanswered points to go on top 23-22 on a basket by Matt Shown with 9:45 to go in the half. The Pioneers led 40-38 following a first half that featured 11 lead changes and 22 points from the Tornados' Threatt. Carter led the Pioneers with 14 points in the first half, while Fagan added 10.

Tusculum led 47-44 after a basket by Leathers with 17:12 remaining, but quickly built its lead to 11 as Carter hit two three-pointers sandwiched around a jumper, giving the Pioneers their largest lead of the evening.

The Pioneers finished the game shooting 42.4 percent (28-for-66) from the field and 11-for-24 from three-point range. Tusculum was 11-for-16 from the foul line in the game, including a 7-for-9 effort in the second half. Brevard finished the game at 39.4 percent (28-for-71) from the floor, while going 8-for-30 from long range and 13-for-20 at the line.

Shown led the Pioneers with 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and finished with six point. Patterson had four points and three rebounds but dished out a game-high six assists in the victory for Tusculum.

Tusculum will be home Saturday afternoon against Wingate at Pioneer Arena. The Pioneers lost 96-84 at Wingate on January 11. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.