HARTSVILLE, S.C. --- Jordan Jones recorded 20 points and nine assists to lead the Coker University men's basketball team to a 69-59 South Atlantic Conference win over visiting Tusculum University Saturday afternoon at the DeLoach Center.
The Cobras (11-8, 5-4 SAC) knocked down 11 three-pointers and scored 25 points off of Tusculum's 18 turnovers to snap a five-game losing streak at the hands of the Pioneers (9-7, 5-4 SAC).
Coker went 11-of-30 from beyond the arch (46%) while limiting Tusculum to 3-of-15 shooting from downtown (20%).
Tusculum junior Inady Legiste led all scorers with his 23 points as he went 13-of-14 from the free throw line while also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.
With Coker trailing by 13-12 early in the game, the Cobras used a 9-0 run to take a 21-13 lead at the 8:50 mark of the period.
Later in the half, Tusculum cut the deficit to three at 24-21 following a triple by James West IV with 6:28 left on the first half clock.
The Cobras pushed the lead back out to eight again at 29-21 with five straight points before TU answered with back-to-back buckets from Legiste to make it a 29-25 game with under three minutes remaining before halftime.
Zavier Measmer followed with a bucket 18 seconds later as both teams would go scoreless for the remainder of the period as the Cobras led 31-25 at the intermission.
Tusculum came out of the locker room with buckets from Legiste and KJ Crump as the Pioneers were within two (31-29) in the opening minute of the second half.
Leading 40-37 with 14:33 to go, the Cobras went on an 8-2 spurt to take its largest lead of the afternoon so far at 48-39 thanks to a William Asken dunk and three-pointers from Jamie Muldowney and Tate Mulkey.
West answered with a three-pointer of his own to trim the deficit to 48-42 with 11:47 on the scoreboard.
But that would be as close as Tusculum would get as Coker followed with another 8-2 spurt capped off by a Glenn Bynum triple as the Cobras led by double-digits for the first time at 56-44 with 7:17 to go.
Legiste would get the deficit back to single digits (56-47) briefly with his three-point play, but a Jones jumper and two Measmer free throws extended the lead to 13 (60-47), Coker's largest advantage of the game.
Coker finished the game shooting 23-of-50 from the floor for 46 percent and a sizzling 12-of-13 from the free throw line (92%). Tusculum went 20-of-49 from the field (41%) and went 16-of-17 from the charity stripe (94%).
West finished the game with 15 points including three 3-pointers, while Connor Jordan contributed 11 points off the bench.
Jacob Hobbs went 1-of-2 from the floor as he ends his string of 11 consecutive field goals made dating back to the second half of Jan. 7 Mars Hill game.
Measmer finished with 15 points, Mulkey added 13 markers, while Asken, Muldowney and Mahmoud Bangura each tallied six points apiece.
Tusculum returns home Wednesday to host third-ranked Lincoln Memorial University for a 7:30 p.m. contest. Wednesday's game is TU's annual "Pack the Arena" Night.
