Saturday, February 23, 2008

TUSCULUM SHINES ON SENIOR NIGHT, PIONEERS BEAT BREVARD 76-43

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- For a second straight game, the Tusculum College men’s basketball led wire-to-wire as the Pioneers defeated visiting Brevard College 76-43 Saturday night at Pioneer Arena.

Tusculum (12-14) completes the season-sweep over the Tornados (3-23) as the Pioneers have won their last three contests and four of its last five.

Jordan Lear led the charge on “Senior Night” as he posted 22 points, including the 1,500^th of his stellar career. Lear shot 8-for-13 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point territory. Kyle Moore added 19 points, while Darren Hobbs finished with a career-best 14 markers and six boards. Jimmy Boone contributed 11 markers off the bench in the winning effort.

Brevard’s Jonathan Whitson led all players with 30 points and nine rebounds. Whitson accounted 15 of the 19 points BC scored in the second half.

Tusculum roared out to a 12-0 lead to open the game and would maintain a double-digit lead throughout most of the contest as TC led 42-24 at halftime.

TC recorded 10 three-pointers on the night, while limiting Brevard to 25.6 percent shooting including 2-of-17 (11.8%) from beyond the arc.

Senior Emory Cain recorded two assists and two rebounds in his 23 minutes of action in his final regular-season home game at Pioneer Arena. Senior Lavonti Jeter added eight points and six rebounds in the TC win.

Tusculum returns to South Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday when the Pioneers travel to cross-mountain rival Mars Hill. TC is currently in fifth place in the league and could maneuver itself into the top half of the conference standing and a potential home game in the opening round of the Food Lion SAC Tournament.

- TC -