Monday, January 7, 2008

 

LEAR SCORES 25, PIONEERS BEAT CONCORD 67-64

 

Jordan Lear                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Jordan Lear recorded 25 points, including a lay-up with 17.9 seconds remaining as Tusculum College defeated Concord University 67-64 Monday night in non-conference men’s basketball action at Pioneer Arena.

 

                Tusculum (6-7) avenges an earlier season loss to Concord (5-5) and remains undefeated against the Mountain Lions, claiming all six previous meetings.

 

                Lear shot 10-for-16 from the floor and poured in 16 second half points as the Pioneers never trailed in this highly-contest ball game.

 

                Concord’s Lemond Lee led four players in double figures with his 15 points off the bench.  Anthony Lansdowne and Cordale Boyd posted 12 markers each, while Chance Smith accounted for 11 points.

 

                TC’s Kyle Moore added 16 points and six assists off the bench for the Pioneers, while Jimmy Boone and Lavonti Jeter tallied nine points each in the victory.

 

                Tusculum led throughout the entire first half, including its biggest lead of the night at 30-20 at the 3:04 mark, capped off by a three-pointer by Moore.  CU closed out the period with an 8-3 run as TC lead 33-28 at the intermission.

 

                In the second half, Tusculum moved to an eight-point advantage (38-30) following a steal and lay-up by Moore with 17:16 left on the clock.  Concord responded with a 10-2 spurt, including three-pointers by Lansdowne and Smith to tie the game at 40-40, 3:10 later.

 

                Both teams battled down the stretch as Tusculum moved out to a 48-42 lead at the midway point of the period, before Concord as Lee converted a three-point play and Smith buried a jumper as CU cut the deficit to 48-47 with 9:03 remaining.

 

                Tusculum went on a 9-3 run to take a 59-52 lead following Lear’s driving lay-up with 4:04 left.

 

                CU fought back and cut the deficit to one-point after Boyd recorded a three-point at the 2:07 mark.

 

                Jeter moved TC up 65-62 following his offensive rebound and put-back with 1:49 remaining.  Lee was fouled and he made one of two free throws with 1:28 left in the game, but on his second attempt Derrick Calloway retrieved the ball, falling out of bounds and tossed to teammate Rustin Jessee.  Lee got off another jumper in the paint and that was kept alive by Jessee with under a minute to play.

 

                With 48 seconds left, Lansdowne was fouled while shooting sending him to the line.  He made the second of two free throws to cut the deficit to one again at 65-64.

 

                Tusculum worked the ball to Lear in the paint and with the shot clock running down and canned a lay-up with 17.9 seconds on the clock.

 

                Concord got one last chance as Lansdowne’s tying three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer, preserving the win for the Pioneers.

 

                Concord shot 51 percent from the field, including 13-for-24 in the second half.  Tusculum fired 25-for-50 from the floor (50%).

                Tusculum returns to South Atlantic Conference action on Wednesday when the Pioneers host Lincoln Memorial University for an 8 p.m. contest.  Concord will be at Seton Hill on Saturday for a WVIAC match-up.

 

- TC -