GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- After splitting a pair of games in the South Atlantic Conference/Conference Carolinas Challenge over the weekend, the Tusculum University women's basketball team opens conference play this week with matchups against the top two teams in the SAC preseason poll.

The Pioneers host Carson-Newman on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena in their home opener, then travel to Catawba for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday. Tusculum enters the week at 1-1 after dropping a heartbreaker at Belmont Abbey on Friday and holding on for a win over North Greenville on Saturday.

RECAPPING THE WEEK
Keyanna Spivey made two foul shots with 5.2 seconds left to lift nationally-ranked Belmont Abbey to a 49-48 victory over Tusculum Friday evening at the Wheeler Center. Spivey finished with game highs of 19 points and 16 rebounds for the defending Southeast Region champion Crusaders (1-0), who began the season ranked 25th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll and 13th in the D2SIDA national poll. Belmont Abbey shot just 28.6 percent (16-for-56) from the field as a team but outrebounded Tusculum by a 46-31 margin, including 16 offensive rebounds.

Chloe Warrington led Tusculum with 12 points and seven rebounds in her Pioneer debut, with Mya Belton adding 11 points and nine boards. The Pioneers shot slightly better than the Crusaders from the field, hitting 31.4 percent (16-for-51) but going just 7-for-26 from three-point range. Jordan Rogers added nine points off the bench for Tusculum, while Jalia Arnwine hit just 3-for-12 from the field and ended the game with seven points and six boards.

Tusculum went up 48-45 on a three-pointer by Rogers with 1:10 left, and regained possession after a miss by Snow with 54 seconds left. Warrington missed on a three-pointer with 29 seconds to go, and Spivey, who shot 6-for-21 from the field in the game, responded with a layup with 14.9 seconds left to pull the Crusaders within 48-47.

Tusculum tried to run out the clock, but Rogers slipped to the floor and was tied up by Snow, which gave Belmont Abbey the ball back on alternating possession with 7.3 left. Off the inbounds, Spivey was fouled at the rim by Warrington and sank both free throws to put the Crusaders back on top with 5.2 seconds remaining. Tusculum had a final inbounds pass from midcourt with 3.5 seconds left, but was unable to get off a shot before time expired.

On Saturday, Jenna Kallenberg connected on five three-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points as Tusculum defeated North Greenville 54-47. Alyssa Walker added 12 points and seven rebounds and Belton grabbed a game-high 11 boards for the Pioneers (1-1), who limited the Crusaders (0-2) to 29.2 percent shooting (19-for-65) in the game.

Tusculum never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 20 points midway through the third quarter before North Greenville rallied to within five in the final minute. Warrington contributed eight points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Pioneers, while Aniecia Malone was the top-scoring sub for the Crusaders with eight points in 21 minutes.

Kallenberg went 5-for-8 from three-point range for the Pioneers, while Warrington was 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. However, Tusculum finished just 9-for-35 (25.7 percent) on three-pointers and shot 31.3 percent (20-for-64) overall against North Greenville. Belton added seven points to go along with her 11 rebounds for Tusculum, with Arnwine tying her career high with eight rebounds. Tusculum outrebounded North Greenville 46-44 in the game, and scored 13 second-chance points off 11 offensive boards.

PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Warrington leads the Pioneers in scoring at 10.0 points per game, shooting 8-for-18 from the field and 4-for-10 from three-point range, while averaging 7.0 rebounds per game in 25 minutes per contest. Belton is nearly averaging a double-double, at 9.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, but is just 3-for-16 from beyond the three-point line. Kallenberg has shot 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from three-point range and is at 8.5 points per game, while Walker is averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Arnwine, the team's top returning scorer from a year ago at 13.6 points per game, will try and find her groove at home after hitting just 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) from the field and 2-for-9 from long range in the two games at Belmont Abbey. Arnwine is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game and leads the Pioneers with 14 defensive rebounds through two games.

Tusculum has gotten strong production from the point guard position through two games. Starter Sophie Henry has yet to score but has a team-high 10 assists and just two turnovers in 44 minutes, while backup Jordan Rogers has nine points, six rebounds and seven assists in her first two games. Elle Hutchinson has returned after missing last season due to injury and is averaging 11.5 minutes per game through two games.

Two freshmen have seen the court off the bench for the Pioneers, with forward Myajae Eubanks averaging 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game, and guard Lexi Patty having played four minutes over the first two contests.

With all but one team in the conference having played two games, the Pioneers are last in the conference in points per game (51.0), field-goal percentage (31.3 percent) and free throw attempts per game (10.0), and are next-to-last in field goals per game (18.0), free throws per game (7.0) and rebound margin (minus-6.5 per game). However, the Pioneers lead the SAC in scoring defense (48.0 points per game) and opponent field goal percentage (28.9 percent).

SCOUTING CARSON-NEWMAN
The Eagles also split their first two games, losing 84-72 to third-ranked Lander in their opener on Saturday and beating USC Aiken 99-46 in the SAC/Peach Belt Conference Challenge at Lenoir-Rhyne. In the loss to Lander, reigning SAC Player of the Year Braelyn Wykle finished with 16 points, but the Eagles allowed the Bearcats to shoot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the field and 20-for-25 from the foul line as a team. Against USC Aiken, the Eagles outscored the Pacers 72-26 over the final three quarters as Wykle and Lindsey Taylor each finished with 21 points. Carson-Newman shot 54.2 percent (39-for-72) from the field and outrebounded USC Aiken by a 48-26 margin.

Wykle is shooting 65.2 percent (15-for-23) from the field and is averaging 18.5 points per game so far this season. Freshman Campbell Penland is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and Taylor is at 13.0 points per game on 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the field. Junior Harli Smith, who averaged 8.2 points per game and started 17 of the Eagles' 19 games a year ago, played just nine minutes in the season opener against Lander and did not play in the win over USC Aiken.

The Eagles lead the SAC in scoring average (85.5 points per game), field goals per game (33.5), offensive rebounds per game (18.0), assists per game (19.0) and fewest turnovers per game (11.5), but are last in defensive rebounds per game (20.5). Carson-Newman is shooting 47.5 percent from the field as a team (second in the SAC) and also ranks second in the conference with 11.5 steals per game.

The Eagles, who won the SAC regular-season championship by a half-game over Tusculum last season and are the preseason SAC favorites, beat the Pioneers 69-66 in double overtime in their only meeting last season, which gave Carson-Newman a 30-16 edge in the all-time series since 2000.

SCOUTING CATAWBA
The Indians played in the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge at Belmont Abbey along with the Pioneers, and joined Limestone as the only two SAC teams to win both of their games in challenge. Catawba routed North Greenville 86-56 in their season opener on Friday, then hammered Belmont Abbey 74-43 on Saturday. Catawba forced North Greeneville into 33 turnovers and held the Crusaders to 30 percent shooting, while four starters reached double figures in scoring led by 17 from Taisha DeShazo and 15 apiece from Janiya Downs and Lyrik Thorne. In the win over Belmont Abbey, Catawba hit 12 three-pointers and again had four starters in double figures, with Thorne scoring 18 and Downs 13. On defense, the Indians forced Belmont Abbey into 26 turnovers and 38.3 percent shooting for the game.

Thorne is averaging 16.5 points and 3.5 steals through two games for the Indians, while DeShazo is at 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Downs averages 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, and preseason second-team All-SAC guard Shemya Stanback is at 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Catawba was picked second behind Carson-Newman in the SAC preseason coaches poll, with UVA Wise third and Tusculum in fourth.

As a team, Catawba leads the SAC in three-pointers per game (12.0), three-point percentage (39.3 percent) and steals per game (14.0). The Indians also lead the SAC by forcing 29.5 turnovers per game and are second to the Pioneers in scoring defense at 49.5 points per game.

Tusculum and Catawba met twice last season, with the Pioneers winning on the road 68-61 in the regular season and 60-53 at home in the SAC semifinals. The all-time series is even at 25 wins apiece.

TICKETS AND COVID PROTOCOL
Tickets for 2021-22 Tusculum home basketball games are $10 for all entrants and children 12 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students will be admitted free and valid Tusculum ID is required.

Tusculum University's campus remains at LEVEL 4 of coronavirus risk based on the Greene County transmission rate. LEVEL 4 means fans must wear face coverings indoors on the Greeneville campus, which includes Pioneer Arena.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Fans can watch the action of Tusculum women's basketball all season at TusculumPioneers.com on the Pioneer Sports Network and the SAC Digital Network. The radio call of the games will also be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.