ANDERSON, S.C. --- Justin Mitchell's steal and dunk with 30.7 seconds remaining in double overtime proved to be the game-winner as Tusculum University rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat Anderson University 97-94 Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
With the victory, the Pioneers (14-10, 10-7 South Atlantic Conference) secure second place in the SAC Mountain Division and will host Wingate University (No. 3 seed in SAC Piedmont Division) in a SAC Quarterfinal game next Wednesday (March 1) at Pioneer Arena.
Mitchell's late-game heroics also included a blocked shot and rebound with 7.8 seconds left in double overtime. He made the second of two free throws to give TU a three-point lead (97-94).
As much as Mitchell was the hero for Tusculum, Anderson's Mason Carver was that for the Trojans. Carver sent the game into overtime with his buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of regulation. He also hit the game-tying layup in the final seconds of the first OT period. But Carver's magic finally ran out as his 30-foot game-tying shot was short as the Pioneers record their seventh straight win over Anderson and their fourth in a row in the Electric City.
Mitchell finished the game with 20 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five steals including the 100th of his career. But none was bigger than his theft late in the second extra period.
With Tusculum trailing 94-92, James West IV tied the game with his off-balanced layup that hit high off the glass and went in as the shot clock expired with 46.3 seconds remaining.
Mitchell then stole the ball at the Anderson free throw line and went coast-to-coast with the dunk as the Pioneers regained the lead at 96-94 with 30.7 seconds left.
After a timeout, Anderson went for the win as Garrett Denbow set up for a three-point try from the left wing but Mitchell blocked the shot, came up with the loose ball and was fouled with 7.8 seconds remaining and set up the final moments for the Pioneers.
Denbow and teammate Myles Jenkins finished with 29 points each for the Trojans. Jenkins had 23 points alone in the opening half as he and the Trojans jumped out to a 40-23 lead at the 4:46 mark of the first period following his fourth 3-pointer of the half.
Tusculum's Connor Jordan scored a career-high 25 points as he went 9-of-14 from the floor including 4-of-6 from three-point land and 3-of-3 at the foul line. West added 15 points and went 3-of-6 from three-point land including the 100th of his TU career. West also dished out a team-high five assists and made two steals.
TU's Inady Legiste tallied 12 points and eight rebounds while Jacob Hobbs contributed six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench.
For Anderson, Carver tallied 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Jacksen Greco finished with 10 points in the loss.
Both teams came out ice cold to start the game shooting a combined 3-of-14 in the opening moments. TU jumped out to a 9-3 lead following a West three-pointer.
But the Anderson got hot and erupted for a 20-3 run to take a 23-12 lead following Jackson Gammons triple. West cut the deficit to single digits with his 100th career trey at the halfway mark of the half.
The Trojans led 25-17 and went on a 15-6 spurt to take its largest lead of the night at 40-23.
The Pioneers answered with 10 unanswered points capped off by a Mitchell three-pointer as the 17-point lead was whittled down to seven (40-33) with 1:19 left. But the Trojans closed out the half with five points in a row including a pair of free throws by Carver with no time on the clock as AU took a 45-33 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans extended the 9-0 run to the second half, scoring the first two baskets to push the lead to 49-33 with 18:46 left in regulation.
The Pioneers chipped away at the Anderson lead and eventually cut the deficit back to single digits at 64-56 with Joshua Scott's three-point play with 9:41 on the clock.
The Trojans scored on its next two possessions to lead by 12 (68-56) before TU responded with a 9-1 run and cut the Anderson lead to 69-65 with six minutes left in regulation. During the run, Scott converted another three-point play, while Jordan drained another trey.
Meanwhile, Anderson was unable to convert at the charity stripe in the second half as the Trojans went 3-of-10 while missing their first five free throws of the period.
Anderson went 1-of-2 at the line with 4:54 remaining for a 72-67 lead. Tusculum then went on a 10-1 run over the next 1:25 including a layup by KJ Crump and three-pointers by Jordan and Mitchell as TU took its first lead since early in the game, going up 77-73 with 3:29 on the clock.
Carver cut the TU lead to 77-76 with his three-pointer with 2:11 left. Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions. The Pioneers finally punched through when Mitchell rebounded his own miss and tipped it in with 59.8 seconds left for a 79-76 lead.
Anderson turned the ball over as West came up with the steal. The Pioneers worked time off the clock, but missed the shot with 22 seconds remaining as Anderson came down the with ball trailing by three.
Gammons got off a jumper in the paint but his shot went out of bounds off of Tusculum with 6.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Denbow got off a contested three-pointer with four seconds left which was no good. Carver came up with the rebound, took two dribbles back and let it fly from the right wing as he went in at the buzzer sending the Anderson faithful into a frenzy.
In the first overtime period, Kyle Brown made one of two free throws for the first points of OT. Jordan added a jumper as TU led 82-79.
Anderson, who committed three turnovers before getting off a shot in overtime. Carver would make one of two free throws and Denbow tied the game at 82-82 with his layup following a Mack Burgett steal with 1:52 on the clock.
Tusculum followed with a turnover and Gammons hit a jumper in the paint as the Trojans led 84-82 with 1:10 to go. Inady Legiste hit a layup and was fouled with 41.4 seconds left in overtime to tie the game at 84-84. He would miss the free throw but Hobbs came up with the rebound for the Pioneers.
Tusculum missed the ensuing jumper, but Anderson came up empty two as Gammons missed a layup with 15 seconds left as Legiste hauled in the rebound and was fouled with 10 seconds left. Legiste hit both free throws as Tusculum retook the lead at 86-84.
Carver went the length of the court and split the Tusculum defense for the uncontested layup with 3.1 seconds remaining to knot the game at 86-86 to send the game to a second extra period.
Legiste scored a bucket 17 seconds into the second OT but Ian Thompson answered with a basket of his own. Jordan went the length of the court and scored on a layup and was fouled. He converted the three-point play for his 25th point as Tusculum led 91-88 with 4:07 to go.
Denbow made two free throws to trim the deficit to one and after a Tusculum turnover, Burgett scored on a jumper after a missed three-pointers as the Trojans led 92-91 with 2:06 left.
TU missed a three-point try but Hobbs came down with the offensive board and was fouled. He missed the first free throw but buried the second and tie the game at 92-92 with 1:38 remaining.
Thompson scored again on a layup for AU with 1:20 left as the hosts led 94-92 and set the stage for the final minute heroics for Mitchell and the Pioneers.
The 17-point deficit is the fourth largest comeback victory in recorded school history.
With the victory, Tusculum clinches its fifth consecutive winning season, a first in program history. The Pioneers also improve their overtime record under head coach J.T Burton as TU is 6-1 in overtime games since 2018.
Tusculum closes out the regular-season on Saturday when they travel to Catawba College for a 4 p.m. contest. The Catawba Indians have already clinched the SAC Piedmont Division title and are ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Poll.
