CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- A third-quarter surge boosted Tusculum University to a 74-41 victory over Queens University of Charlotte in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Wednesday evening at Curry Arena.
Jalia Arnwine scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half and Alyssa Walker added a career-high 17 points and a season-best nine rebounds for the Pioneers (2-5, 1-4 SAC), who outscored the Royals 31-14 during a third quarter in which Tusculum shot 12-for-17 from the field. For the game, the Pioneers shot 45.8 percent (27-for-59) and went 9-for-25 from three-point range to snap a four-game losing streak.
In the second half, Arnwine shot 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from long range for her 15 points, while Walker connected on 4-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc after halftime as the Pioneers outscored the Royals 49-20. Tusculum went 20-for-31 from the field in the second half (64.5 percent) and drilled seven three-pointers in 13 attempts. Mya Belton chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds and freshman Lexi Patty went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with a season-best 11 points off the bench for Tusculum, which outrebounded Queens 40-35 for the game.
Kalaya Hall led the Royals (1-4, 0-4 SAC) with 15 points, but was the only player to reach double figures for Queens as the Royals shot 28.6 percent (16-for-56) from the field and committed 19 turnovers which led to 20 points for the Pioneers. Taylor Stevens had five points along with five rebounds and a game-high six assists, and Kristy Hamze contributed eight points and six rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench for the Royals.
Arnwine, whose previous season high was 13 points, reached the 20-point mark for the sixth time in her career. Walker's 17 points surpassed her previous season best of 12 against North Greenville on Nov. 13 and her collegiate high of 14 points against UNC Asheville while playing for Western Carolina on Nov. 18, 2019. Tusculum set team season highs for points, field goals and field-goal percentage while its 10 turnovers were a season low.
Queens scored the first points of the game on a layup by Malea Garrison in the opening minute, but Tusculum came back to score 11 straight points -- seven from Belton -- while the Royals missed four straight shots and committed a pair of turnovers until a three-pointer by Hall snapped the drought with 4:20 left in the quarter. That bucket by Hall triggered an 8-2 run that brought the Royals within 13-10 on a three-pointer by Hamze with 53 seconds left in the period, and the score remained there for the duration as both teams finished the quarter at 25 percent shooting from the field.
Tusculum missed its first nine shots of the second quarter, but still retained the lead at 15-14 midway through the period as Queens went 2-for-5 with three turnovers. The Royals tied the game at 17-17 on a three-pointer by Stevens with 4:34 remaining in the half, but Tusculum scored on three straight trips as Jordan Rogers, Arnwine and Walker teamed to give the Pioneers a 23-17 lead with 3:15 to go.
The Pioneers led 25-21 at halftime as Arnwine led all players with eight points along with four rebounds. Belton had seven points for Tusculum and Walker added five points and a team-high five rebounds for the Pioneers, who shot 25 percent (7-for-28) from the field and 9-for-12 from the foul line in the opening half. Queens, which shot 31 percent (9-for-30) from the field and turned the ball over 11 times, was led by five points apiece from Hall and Hamze, who had a game-high six rebounds.
Tusculum made its first five shots of the third quarter, as two baskets from Arnwine, a three-pointer by Walker and a layup by Belton resulted in a 9-0 run for a 34-21 lead with 7:53 left in the period. After two free throws from Hall snapped the Tusculum run, Walker hit a three-pointer to push the Pioneers in front 37-23. Tusculum continued to extend its lead as Belton sank a three-pointer, Patty hit a layup and Arnwine drilled back-to-back threes to give Tusculum a 56-35 lead entering the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers continued the onslaught as their run would reach 18-0 before Hall converted a three-point play with 4:10 left after the Pioneers had built a 68-35 advantage. Tusculum would outscore Queens 18-6 in the fourth quarter to finish off their eighth straight victory over the Royals in the series.
Chloe Warrington contributed five points, five rebounds and three assists along with two blocked shots in 28 minutes for the Pioneers, while Rogers had two points, two rebounds and two assists. Sophie Henry was scoreless in 31 minutes, but Tusculum's starting point guard had three rebounds, two assists, three steals and zero turnovers.
The Pioneers will host Lincoln Memorial on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Arena in a rematch of last year's SAC Championship final, won by the Pioneers by a 59-47 score. The Railsplitters (3-4, 1-3 SAC) defeated future SAC member Emory & Henry 80-38 in a non-conference game on Tuesday for their second straight victory after four losses in a row.
