GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Alexandra Merceron scored 21 of her game-high 28 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket with 5.5 seconds left, to help Lenoir-Rhyne University rally from a 17-point deficit and defeat Tusculum University 82-79 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena.
The Bears (8-11, 6-9 SAC) trailed 41-24 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but outscored the Pioneers (7-12, 5-10 SAC) 24-7 over the next eight minutes to knot the game at 48-48 midway through the third quarter. From there, the game featured five ties and seven lead changes with neither team leading by more than six points.
Tusculum took a 79-78 lead on a putback by Jalyn Spurlin with 1:47 to play, but both teams would miss their next two shot attempts. A turnover by the Pioneers following a Bears miss gave Lenoir-Rhyne the ball with 16.8 seconds to go, and Merceron connected on a short jumper to put the Bears on top 80-79 with 5.5 seconds remaining. An offensive foul by the Pioneers gave the ball back to the Bears with 4.4 seconds to go, and Emily Harman would add two free throws before a final desperation attempt from Tusculum went wide at the buzzer.
Abbi Douglas scored 16 points to lead the Pioneers, including the 1,000th of her college career, while Ni'Kiah Chesterfield finished with 15 points and Spurlin added 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Tusculum made its first six three-point attempts and finished 7-for-11 from long range and 47.8 percent (30-for-63) from the field in the game.
Sarah Burton and Harman each had 19 points for the Bears with Tilda Lindstrom adding 13 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Lenoir-Rhyne, which played just seven players, was 47.8 percent (32-for-67) from the field and 8-for-21 from three-point range as a team, while scoring 25 points on fast breaks and 24 points off 21 Tusculum turnovers.
Douglas reached 1,000 career points on a putback with 6:49 to play, which included 805 points in three seasons at Cumberlands and 195 points this season at Tusculum. She had a pair of three-pointers to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 23 minutes of playing time.
Spurlin's double-double was her third of the season, while Chesterfield reached double figures in scoring for the 14th consecutive game and 18th time in 19 games this season. Carleigh Wilson also reached double figures for the Pioneers by going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and finishing with 11 points along with four assists, three blocks and three steals in 26 minutes off the Tusculum bench.
Tusculum went up 4-0 on baskets from Douglas and Zoe Sharpe in the opening minute, and the Pioneers would get back-to-back threes from Wilson and Douglas to take a 21-15 lead with 1:58 left in the opening quarter. Another three-pointer from Wilson pushed the Pioneers on top 24-17 with 1:21 to go, and Tusculum would take a 24-19 lead out of the first quarter.
The Pioneers opened the second quarter with an 11-0 run, with consecutive three-pointers from Jenna Kallenberg and Wilson giving Tusculum a 35-19 lead with 7:07 to play in the first half. Tusculum's largest lead of the game came at 41-24 on a layup by Chesterfield with 2:29 to go in the half, but Harman and Lindstrom hit consecutive threes as Lenoir-Rhyne trailed 43-30 at intermission.
Wilson led all players with 11 points off the bench in the first half for the Pioneers, who shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) as a team and 6-for-7 from long range. Harman hit two threes and paced the Bears with 10 points in the first half, but Lenoir-Rhyne shot 37.5 percent (12-for-32) from the field. Lindstrom and Merceron had six points apiece in the first half for the Bears.
The Bears opened the second half with nine straight points, pulling within 43-39 on a three-pointer from Lindstrom with 8:10 to play in the third quarter. A three-pointer by Douglas was answered by a 9-2 run that tied the game at 48-48 on a layup by Burton with 6:05 left in the period. Merceron, who scored 10 points in the quarter, pushed the Bears on top 61-56 with under 10 seconds to go before Sharpe beat the buzzer at the other end to leave Tusculum trailing 61-58 entering the fourth.
The basket from Sharpe triggered an 11-0 run for the Pioneers, with a putback from Chesterfield putting Tusculum on top 67-61 with eight minutes to go. Tusculum would hold the lead until a basket from Merceron with 5:44 left gave the Bears a 71-70 advantage. Tusculum would then go up by three before five straight from Lenoir-Rhyne put the Bears on top 76-74 with 4:02 left. The Pioneers trailed 78-76 with 3:10 left, but back-to-back turnovers from the Bears enabled Tusculum to take its final lead on Spurlin's putback with 1:47 to go.
Danyell Booker was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and had eight points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers, while Angela Gomez had two points, five rebounds and four assists without a turnover in 11 minutes. Tusculum's bench outscored Lenoir-Rhyne's reserves 23-0 in the game.
Sharpe added nine points and five rebounds for the Pioneers, who outrebounded the Bears by a 41-33 margin. Tusculum had 17 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds, and the Pioneers scored 23 points off 17 turnovers by the Bears.
Tusculum will visit Limestone on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The Saints, who beat the Pioneers 77-72 in Greeneville on Jan. 4, defeated Catawba 60-55 on Saturday for their fourth consecutive win and sole possession of eighth place in the SAC standings at 6-8.
