GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team will look to end January on a strong note as the Pioneers host a pair of games this week at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum will host Anderson on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. and will welcome Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.

The Pioneers (6-11, 4-9 SAC) played just one game last week for the second week in a row, dropping a 52-49 decision to Queens on Wednesday evening. Tusculum enters the week in 10th place in the SAC standings, a half-game behind Queens and Newberry who are tied for seventh place at 5-9.

Tusculum has lost its last three home games, the second time this season the Pioneers have lost three in a row on its home court. Tusculum is 2-6 at home this season with five home contests remaining on the slate.

RECAPPING THE WEEK
Taylor Stevens hit a tiebreaking layup with 28.1 seconds remaining and the Queens defense held Tusculum without a field goal in the fourth quarter as the Royals defeated the Pioneers 52-49 Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena.

The Pioneers led 46-39 entering the final quarter but shot 0-for-14 from the field, with their only three points coming on foul shots by senior forward Brianna Dixon. Queens made just two field goals in the final 5:50 and shot 9-for-20 from the foul line in the game, but the Royals limited the Pioneers to 27.3 percent (18-for-66) from the field for the game and 19.4 percent (7-for-36) in the second half.

Dixon, who played all 40 minutes, registered her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 13 rebounds to go along with six assists. Senior guard Mya Belton added nine points and 14 rebounds and graduate guard Jalia Arnwine contributed 11 points and five rebounds for the Pioneers, who outrebounded the Royals 49-36 and scored 22 points off 18 Queens turnovers.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Arnwine begins the week nine points shy of becoming the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. She is also 13 three-pointers away from joining Ashli Oliver (375 from 2005-09) and Kendal Baxter (320 from 2009-13) as the only players in program history to make 200 career threes. Arnwine leads the SAC in minutes per game (35.9) and has played 30 or more minutes in all but one game this season. Her 34 three-pointers are fourth in the conference while her scoring average of 12.1 points per game is second on the team.

Belton continues to lead the Pioneers in scoring at 12.2 points per game and is tied for second in the SAC in rebounding at 9.3 per game. Her streak of 10 straight games in double figures came to an end against Queens, though she did reach double figures in rebounds for the third game in a row and the ninth time this season. Belton has blocked one shot in the last five games but continues to rank eighth in the SAC in blocked shots (1.2 per game).

Dixon's double-double against Queens boosted her scoring average to 12.1 points per game and her rebounding average to 5.6 per contest. Dixon has scored in double figures five times in seven games and is shooting a career-best 82.4 percent (28-for-34) from the foul line. She had five offensive rebounds against Queens after having none in her first five games and one against Coker on Jan. 15.

Junior guard Jordan Rogers filled the scoresheet in against Queens in her first start since Dec. 20, with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in 27 minutes. Rogers is averaging 7.6 points per game, but hit 50 percent in shooting for the first time in nine games with a 3-for-6 performance against Queens.

Tusculum enters the week still leading the SAC in field goal percentage defense at 36.4 percent (46th in Division II) and third in scoring defense at 60.0 ppg (70th in DII). The Pioneers were 6-for-22 from long range against Queens and are fourth in the SAC in three-pointers per game at 6.8, and are next-to-last in both field goal percentage (35.6 percent) and scoring offense (58.4 ppg).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Anderson (11-8, 11-4 SAC) opens the week in fourth place in the SAC following wins over Mars Hill (74-44) and Limestone (81-60) last week. Graduate guard Shameka McNeill continued her scoring barrage with a game-high 24 points in the win over Limestone after scoring 25 in the victory over Mars Hill, earning her SAC Player of the Week honors.

McNeill, who averaged 8.3 points in three seasons at Virginia Union (2017-20), leads the SAC in scoring and ranks eighth in Division II in scoring at 21.6 points per game. She has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games, and has scored 20 or more in eight straight contests. McNeill is second in the conference in steals at 2.38 per game and second in three-pointers per game with 2.56. Junior guard Brittney Stafford has played seven games since making her season debut on Dec. 20, and is averaging 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, with junior guard Jalyn Spurlin checking in at 7.0 points per game.

In the post, 6-1 graduate forward Samantha Michel averages 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while blocking a team-high 23 shots. 6-foot senior forward Britney Bailey is tied for second in the SAC with Belton in rebounding at 9.3 per game, and is averaging 8.4 points per game. Also in the post, 6-foot senior forward Taylor Hair averages 9.1 ppg and 6-2 freshman Diamond McDowell is at 9.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. Yet another 6-footer, 6-3 junior Nelliah Wilson, averages 6.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game.

Unsurprisingly, Anderson leads the SAC in rebounds per game (45.6) and ranks sixth in Division II on the boards. The Trojans are second in the conference in three-point defense at 28.2 percent, and third in blocked shots at 4.6 per game. Anderson is last in the conference in forced turnovers per game at 14.4, and the Trojans average just 6.6 steals per game as a team. Anderson is fifth in the conference in both scoring offense (68.6 ppg) and defense (64.9 ppg).

Wednesday's game will be the first of two meetings this season between the Pioneers and Trojans. Last year, the road team won both matchups as the Trojans won 66-50 at Pioneer Arena on Feb. 3, after the Pioneers snapped a nine-game losing streak at the Abney Athletic Center with a 65-61 victory on Jan. 9. Anderson leads the all-time series with the Pioneers by a 21-9 margin. The teams will meet at Anderson in the regular-season finale on Feb. 26.

Lenoir-Rhyne (4-10, 3-9 SAC) has three road games this week, starting Monday at Lincoln Memorial and followed by a visit to Mars Hill on Wednesday. The Bears, who have lost four in a row, are 1-4 on the road with four consecutive losses since a 68-53 win at Coker in their initial road contest of the year on Nov. 23. Lenoir-Rhyne is 0-4 in games decided by three points or less, including a 73-72 overtime setback to Coker on Saturday in which the Bears led by seven early in overtime before giving up the winning point on a free throw with four seconds left.

Sophomore guard Emily Harman and junior forward Brandi Hudson have shouldered the scoring load for the Bears this season, with Harman seventh in the SAC in scoring at 15.8 points per game and Hudson eighth at 15.6 per contest. Harman has scored in double figures 10 times, including a 39-point performance in a 64-57 win over Anderson on Dec. 15, while Hudson is coming off a 35-point performance in Saturday's loss to Coker for her 12th game in double figures in 14 this season.

Harman leads the SAC and ranks fifth in Division II in foul shooting at 92.3 percent, while ranking third in the conference in assists per game (4.2) and 10th in rebounding at 7.1 per game. Harman is fifth in the conference in steals at 2.07 per game and is ninth in field goal percentage at 41.4 percent. Hudson is third in the league in shooting at 49.7 percent, while freshman forward Maddie Dillinger averages 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and ranks third in the SAC in blocks at 1.46 per game.

Long-range shooting has been an issue for the Bears, who are last in the SAC in three-pointers made per game (3.9) and three-point percentage defense (37.9 percent). Lenoir-Rhyne is next-to-last in the conference in field goal defense at 42.6 percent, but the Bears are second in the league in foul shooting at 75.8 percent as a team. The Bears are ninth in the SAC in scoring at 62.6 points per game and eighth in defense at 67.5 points per contest.

Tusculum's 58-48 win at Lenoir-Rhyne on Dec. 18 stretched the Pioneers' winning streak over the Bears to nine in a row. Tusculum leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne by a 29-23 margin, including a 16-8 mark at home which includes four straight wins.

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. All attendees are currently required to wear face masks while inside 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.