MARS HILL, N.C. --- Aliyah Miller tied the South Atlantic Conference record for made three-pointers without a miss, going 7-for-7 from long range as part of a school-record 19 three-pointers for Tusculum University, as the Pioneers routed Mars Hill University 111-59 in women's basketball action Wednesday night at Stanford Arena.
Miller matched her career high with 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting off the bench in 22 minutes, while Mya Belton went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and scored a career-high 25 points for the Pioneers (13-2, 13-2 SAC), who shot 64.1 percent (41-for-64) overall from the field and 19-for-29 (65.5 percent) from three-point range. The 19 threes broke the school record of 18 set against Mars Hill on Feb. 21, 2007 and matched during the Pioneers' last trip to Mars Hill on Jan. 8, 2020, helping the Pioneers improve to 8-0 on the road and win their 10th straight away from Pioneer Arena dating to last season.
Maddie Sutton recorded her ninth straight double-double and Division II-leading 13th of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Pioneers, while Jalia Arnwine hit four threes and added 14 points. Marta Rodrigues was the fifth Pioneer in double figures with 11 points to go along with career-high tying nine assists, as the Pioneers earned their eighth straight win over the Lions and remained on the heels of Carson-Newman (11-1) atop the SAC standings.
The 111 points for Tusculum were the most ever scored by the Pioneers in a South Atlantic Conference game, their most against an NCAA Division II opponent since defeating Converse 114-59 on Jan. 15, 2008, and the most scored by Tusculum against any opponent since a 117-38 win over Virginia Intermont on Dec. 30, 2009. Tusculum last reached 111 points in a conference game in a 124-77 win over Bluefield on Jan. 30, 1996 in a Tennessee Virginia Athletic Conference matchup. The 111 points is tied for the ninth-most in a single game in school history.
The 64.1 percent shooting for the Pioneers is the fourth-best in a single game in program history, and the best since hitting 65.6 percent (40-for-61) at North Greenville on Nov. 25, 2002. Tusculum's 65.6 percent shooting from three-point territory is also the fourth-best in a game in program history (minimum 10 made), and the best since going 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) against Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 9, 2008.
Miller, who equaled her career high of 25 set in last year's visit to Mars Hill, hit two threes in the first quarter, one in the second, three in the third and another in the fourth to tie the SAC record of 7-for-7 set by Ashley Marine of Newberry at Brevard on Feb. 27, 2008. Miller's seven threes were the most for a Tusculum player since Kendal Baxter hit a school-record 11 at Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 4, 2012.
Belton shot 10-for-15 from the field to surpass her previous career high of 23 points set against Hiwassee on Feb. 6, 2019. It was the first time that Tusculum had two players score 25 points in a game since Jan. 29 of last season, when Kasey Johnson scored 34 and Mia Long 25 at Lenoir-Rhyne.
De'Ja Marshall led the Lions (2-12, 2-12 SAC) with 17 points and five rebounds, but the Lions shot 37.5 percent (21-for-56) from the field and were outrebounded 39-20 by the Pioneers. Mars Hill turned the ball over 18 times, but shot a respectable 35.3 percent (6-for-17) from three-point territory and 11-for-13 at the foul line.
The teams were tied 5-5 following a Marshall jumper with 7:20 left in the first quarter, but Tusculum would go on a 12-0 run capped by a Miller three-pointer that gave the Pioneers a 17-5 lead with 2:13 left in the quarter. Tusculum shot 9-for-19 from the field in the first quarter and led 22-9 heading to the second period.
Back-to-back threes from Brianna Dixon and Miller pushed the Pioneers ahead 28-9 with 8:52 left in the first half, and Belton hit two in a row to stretch the Tusculum advantage to 38-13 with 6:00 to go in the quarter. Belton would score 13 points in the quarter, while Sutton locked down her double-double in the final seconds as the Pioneers carried a 54-22 lead to halftime.
Tusculum shot 57.1 percent (20-for-35) from the field and 10-for-20 from three-point range in the first half. Belton paced the Pioneers with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 5-for-6 from long range, while Sutton had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Marshall paced the Lions with seven points, but Mars Hill shot 30 percent (9-for-30) as a team and was outrebounded 25-11.
Miller hit three straight three-pointers to extend Tusculum's lead to 77-34 with 2:49 left in teh third quarter, after Arnwine had scored seven points in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the period. Tusculum lead 84-41 after three quarters on a layup by Rodrigues in the closing seconds.
In the fourth, Jordan Rogers drilled a three-pointer with 5:23 left to give the Pioneers a 100-51 lead and tie the school record for made threes in a game. Fittingly, Miller broke the record with her seventh three of the night with 3:54 left. Tusculum went 9-for-9 from three-point range in the second half, hitting five in the third quarter and four more in the fourth.
Dixon finished with eight points, five rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes for the Pioneers, while Rogers had seven points in six minutes off the bench in the fourth quarter. Deidre Cheremond hit all three of her field-goal attempts and ended the game with eight points along with five rebounds in 15 minutes.
Joining Marshall in double figures for the Lions were Hannah Chandler, who hit three three-pointers and had 11 points, while Drew McMillan scored 11 points off the bench and Alexis Pardue and Gabby Gianikos each had nine points.
Tusculum's next scheduled game is Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Pioneer Arena against Lincoln Memorial. The Pioneers beat the Railsplitters 57-53 on the road on Nov. 28.
