GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Two nationally-ranked teams await the Tusculum University women's basketball team as the Pioneers step out of South Atlantic Conference play for the final time this season with games this week against the University of North Georgia on Wednesday and Lander University on Saturday.

The Pioneers (2-6, 1-5 SAC) earned their first SAC win of the season on Wednesday with a 74-41 road win over Queens, then dropped a 55-47 decision to Lincoln Memorial on Saturday at Pioneer Arena. Counting this week's games with North Georgia and Lander, five of the Pioneers' first 10 games will be against nationally-ranked teams.

Tusculum is 0-3 at home for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and will try to avoid its first 0-4 start at Pioneer Arena in the NCAA Division II era (1999-present). The five games against ranked opponents are the most for the Pioneers since playing five in 2019-20, and are the most in the regular season since 2009-10 when Tusculum played five ranked opponents in the regular season and five more in the postseason for a total of 10.

RECAPPING THE WEEK
A third-quarter surge boosted Tusculum to a 74-41 victory over Queens 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, 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.

Mikayla Kuehne finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and the Lincoln Memorial defense held Tusculum to two points in the final five minutes as the Railsplitters came away with a 55-47 win over the Pioneers Saturday afternoon. Shaquala Walton scored eight of her 14 points in the decisive fourth quarter for the Railsplitters, who avenged a 59-47 loss to the Pioneers in last year's SAC Championship game and snapped a six-game losing streak to Tusculum.

Jordan Rogers led the Pioneers with a season-high 19 points and Belton added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Arnwine contributed 11 points for the Pioneers, who shot 32.1 percent (17-for-53) from the field in the game and went 5-for-19 from three-point range. Rogers, who played 33 minutes off the bench, was 6-for-14 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line along with five rebounds and two assists. Both teams finished with 33 rebounds and 13 turnovers in a game that had 10 ties and 10 lead changes, but Tusculum shot just 3-for-15 from the field in the final period in being outscored by a 14-6 margin.

PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Belton leads the Pioneers in scoring (11.3 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (12), while ranking second on the team with 11 steals. Belton has two or more steals in four of the Pioneers' eight games and two or more blocks in four games as well. She is tied for sixth in the SAC in blocked shots at 1.5 per game, and is the only player in the conference averaging at least one block and one steal per game.

Arnwine is averaging 11.0 points per game and shares the team lead in three-pointers with 14. She begins the week 102 points shy of becoming the 20th player to score 1,000 career points at Tusculum, and is 10 three-pointers shy of tying Nikki Van Dine (2007-09) for third on the school career three-pointer list at 177. Arnwine has made a three-pointer in 18 straight games and has scored in double figures in five of the last six games.

Rogers has reached double figures in four of the last five games and leads Tusculum bench players in scoring at 9.3 points per game. Rogers has the highest scoring average in the SAC among players who have not started any games. She is tied for second in the conference in made free throws (28) and third in free throws attempted (39) after going 6-for-6 against Lincoln Memorial.

Walker is averaging 6.8 points per game and ranks second on the team in shooting at 47.6 percent from the field. Walker is 9-for-10 from the foul line and is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game. Chloe Warrington leads the Pioneers in three-point percentage at 41.2 percent (14-for-34) which is tied for eighth in the conference, and she averages 6.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. Guard Sophie Henry has been held scoreless in five of the Pioneers' eight games, but leads the team with 28 assists (3.5 per game, 7th in SAC).

The Pioneers are next-to-last in the SAC in scoring average (59.0 ppg) but are fifth in the conference in scoring defense at 63.0 points per contest. Tusculum is fifth in opponent field goal percentage at 38.3 percent, but ranks 10th in field goal shooting at 36.2 percent. The Pioneers are next-to-last in the conference in free throws made (9.3) and attempted (13.3) per game, but rank third in three-pointers per contest at 7.3 per game. The Pioneers have allowed 55 points or fewer in four of their ate games, but are just 2-2 in those contests.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Nighthawks (6-0) have not played since Nov. 23 when they defeated West Georgia 82-79 in overtime on the road. In that game, the Nighthawks erased an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to force the extra period. Jamari McDavid scored 20 points and had nine rebounds for UNG, one of four in double figures for the Nighthawks in the win. A subsequent game against Montevallo that was scheduled for last Wednesday was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. North Georgia ended last week ranked fourth in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and seventh in the D2SIDA national poll.

Senior forward Julianne Sutton leads North Georgia in scoring at 17.8 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. She also averages a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game, and has scored double figures in all six games with a pair of double-doubles. Sophomore guard Caroline Martin averages 12.5 points per game, while senior guard Josie Earnhardt is shooting 44.9 percent (22-for-49) from three-point range and averages 11.7 points per contest. Also in double figures is senior guard Abbie Franklin at 10.0 points and 5.7 assists per game.

As a team, the Nighthawks lead the Peach Belt Conference and rank third in Division II with 10.2 three-pointers per game, and are second in the league in free-throw percentage at 72.0 percent. North Georgia is second in Division II in assists per game with 19.3, and ranks 22nd nationally in field-goal percentage at 46.0 percent.

North Georgia, which went 18-2 last season and hosted the NCAA South Region tournament after winning the PBC Tournament championship. Wednesday's game will be the Nighthawks' first-ever trip to Greeneville, as North Georgia is 3-1 all-time against Tusculum with the Pioneers' lone win coming on Nov. 26, 2011 by a 78-63 score at Clayton State. All four previous meetings were part of "classic" events, including a 75-55 homecourt win by the Nighthawks over the Pioneers in the most-recent meeting on Nov. 16, 2019 at the UNG Nighthawk Classic.

Lander (6-1) will be playing its third game against a SAC opponent this season, having beaten Carson-Newman 84-72 and Lenoir-Rhyne 67-55 in the SAC/Peach Belt Challenge at Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 13-14. The Bearcats' lone loss was a 76-72 road defeat at 10th-ranked Lubbock Christian on Nov. 19, which was followed by four wins in a row including a 95-68 win over Belmont Abbey on Nov. 27 and a 103-40 win over Emory & Henry on Saturday. The Bearcats, who were ranked number one in the D2SIDA poll for one week prior to their loss to Lubbock Christian, are seventh in the WBCA poll and fifth in the D2SIDA poll entering this week. Lander is the reigning South Region champion and was an NCAA Division II semifinalist a year ago.

Junior forward Makaila Cange, the reigning PBC Player of the Year and a Division II All-American last year, leads the PBC in scoring (21.6 ppg, 9th in DII), blocked shots (2.57 per game, 10th in DII), field goal percentage (65.9 percent, 3rd in DII), free throw percentage (77.6 percent) and double-doubles (5, 6th in DII). Junior guard Zamiya Passmore is second in the conference in scoring (20.7 ppg) and third in assists per game (5.4), helping the Bearcats to a scoring average of 83.6 points per game which leads the PBC and ranks fifth in Division II.

Lander leads the all-time series with Tusculum by an 8-3 margin, and this will be the first meeting since an 81-55 victory by the Pioneers on Dec. 1, 2012. Tusculum is 2-3 all-time at Finis Horne Arena, with the most memorable victory by a 70-63 score on March 15, 2010 which propelled the Pioneers to the Elite Eight as the Southeast Region champions.

TICKETS
Admission for 2021-22 Tusculum home basketball games is $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. Fans may also purchase tickets online in advance through HomeTown Ticketing at www.TusculumPioneers.com/information/tickets. Spectators using HomeTown Ticketing can choose to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate.

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.