GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University used three double-digit scoring runs to cruise to a 92-33 victory over Brescia University in women's basketball action Monday evening at Pioneer Arena.
Blayre Shultz scored a game-high 20 points, Mya Belton added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jami Tham notched her 11th consecutive double-double with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Pioneers (10-1), who won their eighth straight game by holding the Bearcats (1-10) to 22.2 percent (10-for-45) from the field and 2-for-21 from three-point range.
Tusculum scored the game's first 14 points, then ran off 17 consecutive points spanning the second and third quarters before tallying 13 unanswered points in the fourth. The Pioneers led by as many as 63 points and drilled 11 three-pointers as a team, while outrebounding the Bearcats by a 55-24 margin.
Shultz made a career-high nine free throws in 11 attempts as the Pioneers shot 19-for-24 from the stripe as a team. Her nine rebounds were one off her season high, and she added three assists and two steals in 27 minutes. Belton collected her second double-double of the season as she hit four three-pointers while adding four assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.
Tham, the two-time reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week, shot 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-3 from the foul line and took over the lead in all divisions of NCAA women's basketball with her 11th double-double in as many games. Tham, who played just 22 minutes, also tied her season high with three assists and had a pair of steals for the Pioneers.
Tusculum shot 44.3 percent (31-for-70) from the field and hit a season-high 19 free throws in 24 attempts (79.2 percent). The Pioneers' 55 rebounds included 21 offensive boards, which Tusculum turned into 28 second-chance points, and Tusculum outscored Brescia 28-2 on fast break points. The Pioneers also collected 26 points off 26 Bearcats turnovers.
Lindsey Peyton and McKenzie Arline shared the team high in scoring for Brescia with seven points apiece, while Elisabeth Joines had six points and four rebounds. Madelyn Lyon and Marquia White shared the team high with five rebounds apiece for the Bearcats.
Tusculum's eight-game winning streak is its longest since opening the 2020-21 season with nine consecutive wins. The Pioneers, who entered the week ranked fifth in the latest D2SIDA Southeast Region poll, are ranked among the top five teams in Division II in scoring defense, scoring margin, rebound margin and assist-to-turnover ratio while leading the nation in assists per game at 20.9. The Pioneers had 18 assists on 31 made field goals against the Bearcats.
Tusculum bolted to a 14-0 lead after 4 1/2 minutes as Belton hit a pair of three-pointers and Shultz had a three-point play during the game-opening run. Brescia scored its first points exactly five minutes into the game on a three-pointer by Arline, but the Pioneers went up 27-5 on a layup by Belton with 2:37 left in the quarter. Belton had 10 points and Shultz eight in the opening quarter as Tusculum built a 31-7 lead after one.
The Pioneers got off to a sluggish start in the second quarter, missing their first four shots from the field and committing five turnovers before a layup by Tham gave Tusculum a 34-14 lead with 5:18 remaining in the half. Belton would hit a pair of threes in the final four minutes of the period to help the Pioneers open a 46-18 lead at halftime.
Belton led all players with 16 points and eight rebounds in the first half, while Shultz had 11 points and five rebounds and Tham added nine points and five boards. The Pioneers shot 48.6 percent (17-for-35) from the field in the half and 7-for-17 from beyond the arc, while the Bearcats shot 21.7 percent (5-for-23) from the floor and went 2-for-12 from long range. Arline led Brescia with five points in the first half.
After scoring the final five points of the second quarter, Tusculum would score the first 12 points of the third quarter to take a 58-18 lead on a three-point play by Shultz with 5:41 left in the period. Brescia missed its first eight shots until White hit a bucket with 5:15 left in the quarter. After Peyton hit consecutive layups, the Bearcats would miss their final three shots of the quarter and turn the ball over four times as two free throws apiece from Tham and Shultz would give the Pioneers a 66-24 lead after three quarters.
Tusculum's bench would combine to score 26 points in the fourth quarter, including three three-pointers and a perfect 7-for-7 at the foul line. McKenna Myers and Averie Price scored seven points each for the Pioneers, with five points and four rebounds from Carleigh Wilson, three points from Natalia Crooke and two points from Alyssa Lindsey.
Sophie Henry finished with five points and five assists while committing just one turnover in 21 minutes for the Pioneers, while Deidre Cheremond added five points and seven rebounds along with a blocked shot in 17 minutes off the Tusculum bench.
Tusculum will host Emory & Henry in a South Atlantic Conference matchup on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. The Wasps, who are playing their first season in the SAC, are 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the SAC which includes home wins over Limestone (98-87) and Lincoln Memorial (62-59).
