Wednesday, January 23, 2008

 

TUSCULUM WOMEN DEFEAT NEWBERRY 68-60 IN OVERTIME

 

Stephany Neptune                NEWBERRY, S.C. --- Stephany Neptune scored 14 points, including the game-tying bucket with 11 seconds left in regulation as Tusculum College defeated host Newberry College, 68-60 in overtime Wednesday night in a South Atlantic Conference thriller at Eleazer Arena.

 

                The Pioneers (15-2, 5-0 SAC) record their 12th consecutive win and remain in first place in the league.

 

                Neptune recorded her 10th double-double of the year with 14 markers and 11 rebounds, while Kat Spears added 14 points and 13 boards in the winning effort.  Ashli Oliver finished with 10 points, including 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the overtime period.

 

                Tacarra Harris added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Indians (12-5, 3-3 SAC), while Tonique Frasier tallied a double-double with a dozen points and 10 boards in the loss.  Leanne Watson also added 10 points for Newberry.

 

                Tusculum jumped out early to an 11-1 lead and led by as many as 18 in the first half as Newberry wouldn’t record its first field goal until the 12:35 mark of the opening period, missing its first 10 shots.

 

                The Pioneers moved out to its biggest advantage at 23-5 following a pair of free throws by Shantae Shank at the 8:24 mark.

 

The Lady Indians would rally as TC led by a dozen (26-14) with 4:35 remaining following a Jennifer Wilson lay-up, but that would be the Pioneers final points of the period. Newberry responded with an 11-0 run, including five points by Harris as TC led 26-25 at the intermission.

 

                In the second half, the lead would exchange hands on seven occasions, along with nine ties.  Newberry led 51-48 with 3:25 remaining following a lay-up by Watson.  Nikki Van Dine tied the game for TC with her clutch three-pointer from the right wing, a minute later.  Newberry would take its final lead of the night when Laura Marquardt posted a jumper with 2:10 left on the clock.

 

                Neither team would score down the stretch until Neptune tied the game with a 17-foot jumper with 11 seconds remaining to knot the contest at 53-53.  Newberry had one final chance to win the game in regulation, but Frasier’s lay-up at the buzzer was off the mark sending the contest into extra time.

 

                In the overtime period, Tusculum opened with a 7-2 spurt, including a three-pointer by Van Dine as the Pioneers outscored Newberry 15-7 in the overtime frame, including eight points by Oliver.

 

                Tusculum limited Newberry to 32 percent shooting in the game, including 3-of-15 in the overtime period (20%).  The Pioneers made only three 3-pointers, but TC shutout Newberry from beyond the arc as the Lady Indians shot 0-for-9.  It marks the second straight game TC has blanked an opponent from three-point territory.

 

                Tusculum is off to its first 15-2 start since the 1994-95 campaign.  With Wednesday’s win, the Pioneers have clinched its third consecutive winning season, the first time that has happened since TC posted three in a row from 1994-97.  The 12-game winning streak is also the second longest in school history.

 

                Tusculum returns to action Saturday when the Pioneers travel to Wingate University for a 2 p.m. contest.

 

- TC –