GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University pulled off its biggest upset in nearly a decade as the Pioneers stunned fourth-ranked University of North Georgia 54-38 in women's basketball action Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena.
Mya Belton recorded her second straight double-double with game highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds, freshman Lexi Patty scored a season-high 15 points and the Pioneer defense limited the Nighthawks to 23.1 percent shooting (12-for-52) for the game. Tusculum went on an 18-0 run in the first half and an 11-0 surge in the third quarter after North Georgia had cut an 18-point Pioneer lead to one.
Tusculum (3-6) beat a top-five team for the first time since a 69-55 victory at fourth-ranked Rollins on Nov. 23, 2012. It was the Pioneers' first home win over a ranked team since beating 25th-ranked Newberry 75-54 on Jan. 21, 2019, and was the highest-ranked team Tusculum has ever defeated at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum has defeated a ranked opponent in each of the last four seasons.
The Pioneers earned the victory as Patty went 6-for-9 from the field and drilled a pair of three-pointers in her first career start to surpass her season high of 11 set against Queens on Dec. 1. Belton, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds against Lincoln Memorial, scored 10 of her 16 points in the second half on 4-for-6 shooting.
The Nighthawks (6-1), who had not played in 15 days due to a scheduling break and COVID-19 protocols which resulted in a canceled game, looked rusty as they missed nine of their first 10 shots and trailed 22-4 midway through the second quarter before going on a 17-0 run to pull within 22-21 with 6:51 left in the third quarter. However, an 11-0 run for the Pioneers restored a double-digit lead for Tusculum that never dipped below 10 for the rest of the game.
The Tusculum interior defense, led by Alyssa Walker, was particularly effective against two-time WBCA Division II honorable mention All-American Julianne Sutton. The fifth-year senior post player, who entered the game averaging 17.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, was limited to just four points and four rebounds on 1-for-10 shooting in 29 minutes. Walker nearly matched Sutton at the offensive end with three points and six rebounds in 38 minutes for the Pioneers.
North Georgia did not place a player in double figures, as Tija Blackwell and Jamari McDavid shared the team lead in with eight points and five rebounds apiece. Caroline Martin added six points and eight rebounds, but the Nighthawks were 2-for-13 from three-point range after averaging 10.2 threes per game to rank third in Division II through their first six contests.
For Tusculum, Jordan Rogers had nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Off the bench, Chloe Warrington played 16 of 20 minutes in the second half and contributed nine points, including a pair of three-pointers. Starting point guard Sophie Henry played all 40 minutes and finished with zero turnovers to go with two points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
Tusculum missed its first four shots and North Georgia misfired on its first three before a layup from Martin gave the Nighthawks what would be their only lead of the night at 2-0 with 7:30 left in the first quarter. A three-pointer by Patty on Tusculum's next possession was the first of 14 straight points to end the quarter as North Georgia went 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-2 from the foul line with seven turnovers over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the period.
Buckets by Rogers and Belton to start the second quarter stretched the Pioneer lead to 18-2 with 9:14 left in the half, before the Nighthawk drought ended at 9 minutes, 7 seconds as Martin made a layup with 8:23 to go in the quarter. Tusculum's lead stretched to 22-4 on two baskets by Patty, but the Pioneers would not score over the final 6:17 of the period and would not have a field-goal attempt for the final 3:04 as they closed the quarter with four turnovers and two missed free throws. Meanwhile, five points from Anna Claire Atha and four from Blackwell brought North Georgia within 22-15 at intermission.
Tusculum shot 31.0 percent (9-for-29) from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range in the first half, with Patty leading all players with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. North Georgia was just 25 percent (5-for-20) from the floor and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, and the Nighthawks missed their first six free throw attempts before hitting their final four. Atha's five points stood as the team high in the first half for North Georgia, which turned the ball over 13 times in the opening 20 minutes.
The 11-0 run to end the half for North Georgia stretched to 17-0 thanks to back-to-back baskets from McDavid, the latter cutting the Tusculum lead to 22-21 with 8:05 left in the third quarter. Tusculum's scoring dry spell would last exactly as long as North Georgia's at 9 minutes, 7 seconds before Rogers hit a jumper with 7:10 left in the third. Sutton's only field goal of the night on the next trip brought the Nighthawks back within a point, but the following possession would be critical as North Georgia missed five shots to take the lead, and the Pioneers answered with a Belton layup for a 26-23 lead with 5:33 remaining in the quarter.
North Georgia would misfire on 12 straight shot attempts as the Pioneers used three-pointers from Belton and Warrington and a layup by Henry to go up 35-23 with 2:37 left in the quarter. McDavid would end Tusculum's second lengthy run at 11-0 over 5:47 on a putback with 1:04 remaining in the quarter, but Rogers would convert a three-point play with 38 seconds as Tusculum went to the final quarter with a 38-25 advantage.
Two free throws by Josie Earnhardt with 8:35 remaining pulled North Georgia within 38-27, but Warrington drilled a three with 6:33 left and Belton added a putback with 4:59 to go as the Nighthawks would not make their first field goal of the quarter until Blackwell snapped an 0-for-7 skid for North Georgia with a basket with 2:57 left. Tusculum would take its biggest lead of the night at 53-33 on a jumper by Patty with 1:10 to go.
The 23.1 percent shooting allowed by the Pioneers marked the fourth time this season that Tusculum had limited an opponent to less than 30 percent from the field. The 38 points allowed by the Pioneers are the fewest since a 59-35 win at Coker on Feb. 23, 2019 and the fewest given up by Tusculum to a ranked opponent in the Division II era (since 1999-2000).
North Georgia finished with a 39-35 rebounding advantage over Tusculum, with 15 of their boards on the offensive glass. Both teams had 17 turnovers in the game, while the Pioneers had 14 fast-break points to four for the Nighthawks.
Tusculum will face its fifth ranked opponent of the season and its second straight Top 10 team from the Peach Belt Conference on Saturday, when the Pioneers travel to Greenwood, South Carolina to battle sixth-ranked Lander at 1:30 p.m. from Finis Horne Arena. The Bearcats, who were ranked number one earlier this season in the D2SIDA national poll, advanced to the Division II semifinals last season and are 6-1 this year, with their only loss coming on the road to currently second-ranked Lubbock Christian by a 76-72 score on Nov. 19.
