GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's basketball team returns to action Wednesday when the Pioneers travel to Queens University of Charlotte to take on the 13th-ranked Royals.
Tusculum (6-3, 6-3) continues its season-long four-game road trip and will be looking to bounce back from Monday's disappointing 68-61 loss at South Atlantic Conference newcomer Limestone University.
Tusculum got a game-high 28 points from junior guard Trenton Gibson, but he would be the lone Pioneer to eclipse double-figure scoring for the visitors as TU committed a season-high 26 turnovers resulting into 26 points for the Saints, who captured their first win as a SAC member and snap an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Gibson led all players with a career-high 12 rebounds for his sixth career double-double. His 28 points moves him to within seven points of becoming 28th player in program history to join the 1,000-Point Club.
Joshua Scott added eight points off the bench for a second straight game, while Adrian Cohen contributed second markers in his second consecutive start.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Gibson (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) continues to pace the Pioneers averaging a team-best 19.9 points per game which is fourth-best in the South Atlantic Conference and 48th in the nation. He also leads the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg - 5th in SAC) and assists (4.3 apg - 5th in SAC). He is shooting 87 percent from the free throw line (7th in SAC) and leads the entire country in free throws made (67) and second in free throw attempts (77).
Gibson, the 2019 SAC Freshman of the Year, has scored over 20 points on five occasions this year including his 24 points in TU's thrilling 74-72 win at Catawba where he hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
Senior forward Brandon Mitchell continues to be TU's leader in blocked shots with 11 rejections through six games. His 1.22 blocks per game average is second in the SAC. He added four more blocks to his season tally at Catawba including some key defensive plays down the stretch in the last-second win. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native is third on the team in rebounding averaging 5.1 boards per game including seven rebounds on Saturday against Coker. He is also posting 6.3 points per contest for the Black & Orange including 10 points at Newberry last Wednesday.
One of the hottest players for the Pioneers of late has been freshman forward Inady Legiste. The 6-7, 235-pound rookie is averaging 7.9 points per game (3rd on team) including 9.5 ppg in his last five outings including a team-best 13 markers last Saturday against Coker where he made his first collegiate start.
Legiste (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) is leading TU in field goal percentage at .510, which is ninth-best in the league. He is also second on the team in rebounding averaging 5.2 boards per contest and is shooting 14-of-18 from the free throw line (78%).
Sophomore forward Joshua Scott is fourth on the roster averaging 7.6 points per game while also grabbing 4.8 boards per contest (4th on team). The Pompano Beach, Florida product contributed eight points off the bench on Saturday where he was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor including a pair of three-pointers.
Along with Gibson, sophomore guard Keaston Brown (Lexington, Ky.) is the only other player to have started in every game this season. The Lexington, Kentucky product leads the team in steals averaging 1.56 thefts per game (7th in SAC). His 2.2 assists per game average is second on the squad to go along with his 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game average. Brown posted 12 points and three steals last Saturday against Coker.
Sophomore guard Zack Dixon (Charlotte, N.C.) has been contributing solid minutes off the bench for the Pioneers where he is averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor and averaging 12.8 minutes per contest.
Sophomore forward DyQuavis Wilkins (Greenville, N.C.) is averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while junior forward Adrian Cohen (Woodstock, Ga.) is tallying 4.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per contest.
Freshman guard Kobe Funderburk (Charlotte, N.C.) has been one of the bright newcomers this season as he has connected on 12 of his 17 three-point attempts this year for a sizzling 71 percent from downtown. He is averaging 4.5 points per game.
SCOUTING THE ROYALS
Like Tusculum, Queens will be entering Wednesday's game coming off a loss as the Royals had their six-game winning streak halted with Monday's 71-66 loss at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
The Royals are 8-3 overall and 7-2 in league play. With most of its early season schedule postponed due to COVID with their opponents, Queens played an early Division I slate which included three games in Washington, D.C. against George Mason, Howard University and Belmont University. The Royals lost by a single-point to George Mason but bounced back with an 85-71 victory over Howard. The Belmont game, which was an exhibition contest, resulted in a 73-61 win by the Division I Bruins.
The Royals opened SAC play with a 66-58 win at Limestone before suffering an 80-71 home loss to Wingate. From there, Queens righted the ship with six straight wins over Lenoir-Rhyne (88-68), Coker (73-63), Catawba (77-59), Limestone (99-70), Carson-Newman (63-62) and UVA Wise (91-67) before suffering Monday's five-point loss in a rematch against L-R.
Head coach Bart Lundy is in his 13th season with the Royals and has led them to 12 winning seasons including the last five with 20-win campaigns.
It's a balanced scoring attack for the Royals with five players averaging double-digit scoring. Jamari Smith leads the charge posting 14.2 points per game but didn't see any playing time prior to Christmas. The All-SAC honorable mention choice posted 16 points in Monday's loss at Lenoir-Rhyne. Also averaging in double figure scoring are Kenny Dye (12.1 ppg), Gavin Rains (11.3 ppg) and Kelyn Pennie (11.0 ppg). Rains is also the team's leading rebounder at 9.4 boards per contest. Malcolm Stevenson is posting 12.6 points per game, but has not seen action since playing Catawba on Jan. 6.
UPCOMING GAMES
The Pioneers will be off this Saturday but will return to action next Wednesday when they travel to Anderson University.
