Women’s Basketball loses at Tusculum, 59-53

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - The Mars Hill women's basketball team lost at Tusculum 59-53 on Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena. The Pioneers improve to 10-6 overall, 6-2 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 12-4 overall, 5-3 in the league.

Tusculum's Jasmine Gunn led all players with 16 points. Catherine Hintz finished with 10 points and led all players with a season-high 13 rebounds. Linda Aughburns chipped in with 12 points.

Brittini Young and Jessica Jones shared the team lead in scoring for Mars Hill with 13 points apiece.

Mars Hill shot 35.9 percent (23-for-65) from the field as a team including 2-for-14 from three-point range. Tusculum shot just 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from the foul line in the contest, while Mars Hill struggled as well by going 5-for-10 at the stripe.

Tusculum led 53-48 following a foul shot by Brittni Oliver with 2:19 to go, but Young sank a three-pointer on Mars Hill's next possession to cut the deficit to 53-51. After a miss by Gunn, Jones converted a putback at the other end to tie the score at 53-53 with 1:32 to go.

Hintz broke the tie by making the first of two free throws with 1:06 left to put the Pioneers on top for good at 54-53.

The Lions held their largest lead of the day at 8-4 following a layup by Tyler Carlson with 15:45 left in the first half, but Tusculum led 26-21 at intermission behind 10 points from Gunn, while Jones paced the Lions with seven points in 15 minutes of action.

The Pioneers led by 11 points on two occasions in the second half, the last at 34-23 following a jumper by Gunn with 16:02 remaining. The Lions then peeled off a 12-3 run to pull within 37-35 on a three-pointer by Taylor Deal with 12:06 left. A three-point play by Fayola Moise and a fast-break layup by Aughburns helped Tusculum to a 42-35 lead with 10:51 to go, but the Lions would edge within a possession of tying the game twice before finally earning the deadlock at the 1:32 mark.

Mars Hill received strong production from its reserves, as Jones was joined in the scoring column by Margaret Harvey (six points, six rebounds) along with Erica Warren (four points, two blocks).

Tusculum shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field and committed 22 turnovers to 16 by Mars Hill.

The Lions will travel to Catawba on Wednesday, January 26. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.