GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team will look for its fourth straight win to open the season as the Pioneers travel to Newberry College for their only game of the week on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

The Pioneers improved to 3-0 overall with a pair of victories last week, beating UVA Wise 79-68 on Tuesday and defeating Lincoln Memorial on the road by a 57-53 score on Saturday. Tusculum is seeking a 4-0 start for the fourth consecutive season, while its 3-0 record in SAC games is its best start in league since opening 4-0 in 2008-09.

 

Tusculum is ranked among the NCAA Division II leaders in numerous categories, and leads the nation in total assists with 48. The Pioneers lead the SAC in rebound margin (+8.7 per game), three-point defense (25.5 percent) and three-pointers made (22), and rank second in scoring margin (+8.7), scoring defense (57.7 ppg), rebounds per game (44.0), field-goal percentage (39.2), three-point percentage (38.6 percent) and assists per game (16.0).

 

Against UVA Wise, Aliyah Miller reached the 20-point mark for the second straight game as she netted a game-high 22 in the win over the Cavaliers. Miller added a career-high eight rebounds and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line to become the first Pioneer since All-American Jasmine Gunn in 2009-10 to score at least 20 points in each of the first two games of the season.

 

Maddie Sutton added a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, helping the Pioneers to a 53-34 advantage on the glass over the Cavaliers. Jalia Arnwine added 18 points and Marta Rodrigues contributed 12 points and a game-high six assists in the victory.

 

On Saturday, the Pioneers pulled out the win at Lincoln Memorial on a basket by Arnwine with 11.7 seconds left. Arnwine finished the game with 11 points while Sutton notched her third straight double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Rodrigues also hit double figures, scoring 10 points and dishing out a game-high eight assists.

 

Miller ranks third in the SAC in scoring at 17.0 points per game. The senior guard from Clarksville, Tennessee is shooting 52.8 percent (19-for-36) from the field to rank sixth in the conference and 11th in Division II, and she is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game.

 

Sutton claimed the SAC Player of the Week award after logging a pair of double-doubles last week. She began the week as the only player in Division II with three double-doubles this season, and is the first Pioneer to begin a season with three in a row since Whitley Campbell in 2000-01. The Walland, Tennessee product leads the conference and is fourth in Division II with 12.7 rebounds per game, and ranks 11th in the SAC in scoring at 14.0 points per contest.

 

Arnwine has scored in double figures in each of the Pioneers' first three games, and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring at 14.3 points per game. She has extended her streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 23. The Knoxville, Tennessee native has averaged 4.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range through three games.

 

Rodrigues enters the week leading Division II in assists with 23, while leading the conference and ranking third in the nation with 7.7 assists per game. The Lisbon, Portugal native is second in the SAC and seventh in Division II in assist to turnover ratio at 3.83.

 

Senior forward Brianna Dixon is averaging 7.0 points per game and is second on the team at 7.3 rebounds per contest, ranking her 11th in the conference. Dixon is tied for seventh in the SAC in blocked shots per game (1.0) and is ninth in the conference with two steals per game.

 

With all five starters averaging more than 30 minutes per game, the Tusculum bench has had limited opportunity to contribute. Combined, the Pioneer substitutes have 20 points and 10 rebounds in 68 minutes of playing time, with 4-for-11 shooting from three-point range.

 

Newberry dropped to 1-3 with a 64-55 loss at Carson-Newman on Wednesday. The Wolves are 0-3 on the road, with their lone victory coming at Eleazer Arena over Limestone by a score of 65-52 on Nov. 28. Newberry has failed to score 60 points in all three of its losses, and has turned the ball over 20 or more times on three of its four games.

 

Freshman guard Payton Cronen is the top scorer for the Wolves at 13.3 points per game off the bench. Cronen has set career highs in each of her four games, including a 19-point effort at Carson-Newman on Wednesday in which she went 5-for-7 from three-point range. Cronen is 13-for-24 on three-pointers (54.2 percent) and is shooting 55.9 percent overall to rank seventh in the conference.

 

Sophomore guard Courtney Virgo is averaging 10.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.3 per game, with senior forward Kelsey Brett at 8.5 points per game. Sophomore center Ericka Wiseley is shooting 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the field to rank fifth in the league, and is at 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

 

Newberry entered the week as the top foul shooting team in the conference at 86.5 percent (32-for-37), but was just 5-for-10 at the stripe against Carson-Newman. 

 

Tusculum leads the all-time series over Newberry by a 27-24 margin. The teams split the season series last year, winning on each other's home court. The Pioneers' 61-47 win at Newberry on Dec. 7, 2019 gave Tusculum back-to-back wins at Eleazer Arena for the first time since 2007 and 2008. Tusculum is 10-13 all-time at Newberry, and seeks its first three-game win streak on the road in the series since winning four in a row from Jan. 17, 2001 through Feb. 18, 2004.

 

The "Voice of the Pioneers" Brian Stayton describes all the action of Tusculum basketball on the Pioneer Sports Network, with pregame coverage starting 15 minutes before tip. Fans can listen locally on WSMG Radio at 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, and on-line at jewel955.com. Live video and live stats links for all games are available at www.TusculumPioneers.com.