GAFFNEY, S.C. --- Limestone University held Tusculum University to one field goal in overtime as the Saints defeated the Pioneers 68-59 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action from the Timken Center Wednesday evening.
Quin Byrd scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Reagan McCray added 16 points for the Saints (7-7, 2-2 SAC), who outscored the Pioneers 14-5 in overtime in a game that featured 14 ties and 22 lead changes.
Jami Tham recorded her 15th consecutive double-double as she led all players with 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Pioneers (13-2, 4-1 SAC), who had their 11-game winning streak come to an end. Tusculum shot 2-for-26 from three-point range and 34.8 percent (23-for-66) from the field in the game and committed a season-high 23 turnovers which led to 16 points for Limestone.
Deidre Cheremond added 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers, who led 54-50 entering the final minute of regulation but saw the Saints hit four free throws in the last 50 seconds to knot the score and force overtime. In the extrs session, the Saints were 4-for-5 from the field and 6-for-6 at the foul line, while the Pioneers shot 1-for-8 and missed all six of their three-point attempts.
Limestone finished the game with a 47-39 advantage in rebounds over Tusculum, the first time this season that the Pioneers had been outrebounded by their opponent. The Pioneers trailed by 10 points at halftime but held the Saints to 21.9 percent (7-for-32) from the field in the second half. For the game, Limestone shot 37.5 percent (24-for-64) from the floor and 15-for-16 from the foul line, including a perfect 12-for-12 after halftime.
Tham shot 10-for-17 from the field and 8-for-11 from the foul line for her sixth 20-point game of the season. Mya Belton came up just short of her fifth straight double-double with nine points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes for the Pioneers, who played overtime for the first time since a 69-66 double-overtime loss to Carson-Newman on Jan. 20, 2021.
Tham came up with a steal and converted a putback on the Pioneers' opening possession, but a three-pointer from McCray and four points by Byrd helped the Saints to an 11-6 lead with 5:34 left in the opening quarter. A three-point play and a layup by Tham were sandwiched around a three-pointer from Byrd as Tusculum trailed 14-13 with 2:07 left in the quarter, but the Pioneers would go scoreless the rest of the period as Limestone took an 18-13 lead after one.
The Saints would stretch their run to 8-0 as baskets from Shariah Gaddy and De'Jaria Guillory gave Limestone a 22-13 lead with 8:33 to play in the opening half. A three-pointer from Sophie Henry would snap the Tusculum drought on the next possession, but the Saints would go up 25-16 on a three-pointer from Charlotte Terry with 5:48 to go in the half. Tusculum would pull within 28-23 on a Henry jumper with 2:26 remaining, but Limestone scored the final five points to carry a 33-23 lead to intermission.
Tham led all players with 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half, but the Pioneers shot 9-for-25 (36.0 percent) from the field and a dismal 1-for-12 from three-point range, all while committing 15 turnovers which led to 12 Saints points. McCray led the Saints with 12 points and Byrd added nine in the opening half for Limestone, which shot 43.3 percent (13-for-30) and outrebounded Tusculum by an 18-16 margin.
Tham scored the first eight points of the third quarter to singlehandedly cut the Limestone lead to 33-31 with 7:08 remaining in the period. Byrd would give the Saints their first bucket of the half with 6:21 to go, but baskets from Cheremond and Blayre Shultz would even the score at 37-37 with 4:48 left in the third. Belton gave Tusculum a 38-37 lead and capped a 15-4 run with a foul shot with 4:19 to play in the period. Limestone would regain the lead at 44-42 as Byrd hit a jumper at the buzzer to end the third quarter.
Tusculum went up 45-44 on a three-pointer by Belton with 8:36 left, but back-to-back buckets from Byrd put Limestone on top 48-47 with 6:30 to go. Cheremond connected on consecutive baskets of her own as the Pioneers regained the lead 49-48 with 6:14 remaining. Belton would convert a three-point play with 4:58 to go to stretch the Tusculum lead to 52-48, but then both teams would go more than 2 1/2 minutes without a point until a layup by Reagan Kargo with 2:18 to play.
Tham converted a jumper with 1:09 left for a 54-50 Pioneer lead, but Gaddy sank two foul shots with 43 seconds remaining to pull the Saints within 54-52. Tusculum would turn the ball over with 13.4 seconds left on an offensive foul, and Byrd would draw a foul with 12.9 remaining and make both to tie the game at 54-54. The Pioneers would have a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a three-point attempt by Henry was off-target which sent the teams to overtime.
Tham scored on the opening possession of overtime for the Pioneers, and was answered by Hill for the Saints on their first trip. Tham made two free throws with 3:23 left for a 58-56 Tusculum lead, but McCray connected on a layup to knot the score at 58-58 with 3:04 left. Byrd drilled a long jumper with 2:26 left for a 60-58 Limestone lead, and McCray made two free throws with 2:02 left to stretch the Saints' lead to 62-58.
Shultz hit a foul shot with 1:12 to go to pull Tusculum within 62-59, and Destiny Jackson answered with a layup with 51.7 remaining to give Limestone a 64-59 lead. Kargo added two free throws with 29.4 left and Guillory tacked on two more with 22.4 remaining to set the final.
Henry played all 45 minutes for the Pioneers and did not commit a turnover, while finishing with five points, three rebounds and two steals. Shultz finished with five points and five rebounds and also played every second of the game for Tusculum.
The Pioneers will return home to face Mars Hill on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. The Lions dropped their fifth straight game on Wednesday with a 95-68 defeat at Emory & Henry. Mars Hill (3-8, 0-4 SAC) lost 80-68 at home to Tusculum on Dec. 10 in their first meeting of the season.
