Lions fall to Pioneers on road
The Mars Hill women’s basketball team (1-8, 0-5 SAC) was defeated by Tusculum (10-2, 3-2 SAC) on the road Wednesday evening by a score of 79-46.
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Mars Hill women's basketball team (1-8, 0-5 SAC) was defeated by Tusculum (10-2, 3-2 SAC) on the road Wednesday evening by a score of 79-46.
Dominant third and fourth quarters for the Pioneers propelled them to their 10th win of the season, outscoring the Lions 47-15 in the final 20 minutes.
The Pioneers led 32-31 entering the second half and exploded for 26 points in the third quarter. Despite Tatum Boggs scoring the first three points of the half, the Lions were unable to score over the next seven minutes where Tusculum went on a 23-0 run. They were led by Callie Peterson, who scored eight points in the quarter. Mia Long and Lovely Locklear also added five points apiece in the stanza.
With just over five minutes remaining in the contest, Tusculum ended the contest on a 13-3 run to close out the game. Locklear had seven points in the quarter to lead all players.
Mars Hill opened the game strong, outscoring Tusculum 18-14 in the opening frame. The Lions shot over 54 percent from the floor, going 6-of-11 while the Pioneers converted on 30 percent of their shots. Boggs had five points in the first quarter followed by Brooke Vilcinskas and Shayla Smith's four points apiece.
Tusculum responded in the second quarter, outscoring Mars Hill 18-13 to enter the half up by one. Despite going 2-of-9 from the floor, the Lions converted on nine of their 12 free throw opportunities. During the final 3:27 of the half, the lead changed four separate times.
Four different Pioneers finished in double-figures, led by Long's 15 points. Long also added a game-high seven steals. Locklear (14), Patterson (13) and Yolizma Cupidan (10) followed behind Long offensively. Boggs led the Lions with 12 points followed by Vilcinskas and Mariah Johnson's eight points.
The Lions return to action on Saturday, January 12th when they face the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
