GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Javon Price recorded a performance for the ages as he poured in a career-high 37 points on Senior Day as Tusculum College upset 12th-ranked Queens University of Charlotte 96-89 in a double-overtime thriller from Pioneer Arena in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action.

The Pioneers (14-14, 9-13 SAC) completed a perfect 3-0 week, while also recording their second victory over a nationally-ranked opponent this season. TC also avenges last month's 91-71 road loss to the Royals (23-5, 17-5 SAC) who drop their third consecutive game to end the regular season.

Both teams will be in next week's South Atlantic Conference Basketball Tournament. Tusculum will be the eighth-seed and will travel to Harrogate, Tennessee to face in-state foe and top-seeded Lincoln Memorial University (No. 3 team in NCAA II). Queens will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will host No. 7-seed Catawba College. Both games are Wednesday night and will tip-off at 7 p.m.

Price scored eight of his 37 markers in the two overtime periods, but none bigger than his two free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining in the first OT to tie the game at 81-81 and extend the contest to a second extra session.

In the second overtime, with Queens leading 87-85 with 2:35 on the clock, the Pioneers scored nine unanswered points, including a three-pointer from Cory Fagan with 32 seconds remaining to extend the Tusculum lead to 92-87. On the ensuing possession, Vincent Brown came up with a steal as Price was fouled and he knocked down two more free throws as TC led 94-87 with 20 seconds to go.

After a pair of free throws from the Royals with 14.4 seconds left, Tusculum's Gunnar Beamer was fouled as he made a pair of free throws to end the game and provide the final margin of victory.

Price also dished out six assists, shot 10-of-13 from the free throw line, hauled in seven rebounds and canned three 3-pointers. Kendall Patterson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, while shooting 5-of-9 from three-point land. Senior Darius Carter added 12 points and five boards before fouling out in the second OT period. Senior Matt Shown tallied 11 points and posted eight boards in his final home game at Tusculum.

Queens placed five players in double figures, including Rob Lewis' 19-point performance. Sean Morgan and Todd Withers added 16 markers each, while Marquis Ranking and Jared Hendryx tallied 15 and 13 points, respectively. Daniel Camps contributed nine points and hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

Tusculum led throughout most of the first half, including a 23-14 lead midway in the opening period as the Pioneers took a 37-29 lead at the intermission. TC pushed their advantage out to 13 points on two occasions, including 53-40 with 14:36 left.

Trailing 58-47 with 10:55 left in regulation, the Royals went on a 16-5 run over the next 10 minutes to tie the game at 63-63 thanks to a pair of Rankin free throws. Queens took its first lead of the second half following a jumper from Lewis as the Royals led 67-65 with 3:41 to go.

The lead went back and forth before Tusculum used a 6-1 spurt to lead 73-69 with 59 seconds remaining after jumper from Price. Lewis answered with a quick layup with 43 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Tusculum senior Johnathan Knight was fouled with two seconds left on the shot clock and 15 seconds on the game clock. He made one of his two free throw tries to extend the lead to three (74-71). But with eight seconds left on the clock, Todd Withers buried a game-tying trey from the left baseline to tie game at 74-74.

Tusculum raced down the floor as Knight gathered in a deflected ball in the paint, but his potential game-winning shot was blocked from behind by Withers, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime period, TC scored the first three points, all on free throws and led 77-74. Withers tied the game again with his fourth trey of the contest for a 77-77 deadlock.

After a TC miss on its next possession, Queens Withers was fouled hard going in for a layup and he hit the base of goal stanchion. He shook of the fall and calmly made the two shots to give the visitors a 79-77 lead with 2:45 to go.

Tusculum got off three shots on its next possession, but came up empty on each. But with 28 seconds on the clock, Price connected on a driving layup to tie the game at 79-79. After a Queens' timeout, Rankin hit the go-ahead layup with 5.5 seconds left to lead 81-79. Price got off a shot attempt as he was fouled falling out of bounds on the right baseline, setting the stage for his game-tying free throws.

Queens shots 44.6 percent from the floor, including 17-of-26 (65.4%) in the second half. But the Royals shot a dismal 3-of-11 in the overtime periods (27.3%) to finish the game at 44.6 percent. Tusculum was held below 40 percent, but Tusculum connected on 12 three-pointers. Though it shot below its seasonal free throw average (71.5%) going 22-of-35, Tusculum went 11-of-13 from the charity stripe in overtime.

Tusculum out-rebounded Queens by a 53-41 margin, including 23-12 on the offensive glass resulting in 23 second chance points.

With his 11 points, Tusculum's Carter moves into sole possession of 10th place on the Tusculum scoring list with 1,329 points, surpassing Tim McPhail (1,319 - 1996-2000).

- TC -