Wednesday, February 20, 2008

TUSCULUM WOMEN CLAIM SHARE OF SAC BASKETBALL TITLE,

NO. 22 PIONEERS BEAT NEWBERRY 83-70

“Ashli Oliver Scores 27, Ties SAC All-Time 3-Pointer Record”

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Ashli Oliver and the No. 22 Tusculum College women’s basketball team made history on Wednesday night as the Pioneers defeated Newberry College 83-70 Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena. With the win, Tusculum (22-3, 12-1 SAC) claims at least a share of its first-ever South Atlantic Conference Championship, with one more league contest remaining on its schedule.

Oliver led the charge with a season-high 27 points, including seven 3-pointers, giving the junior 270 treys for her career and tying the South Atlantic Conference all-time record. She went 7-for-14 from beyond the arc.

Freshman Jasmine Gunn added 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 16 markers in the second half. Junior Shantae Shank added 15 points, while Stephany Neptune, the reigning SAC Player of the Week, was held to only two points, but pulled down 11 rebounds in the victory.

Newberry’s Tonique Frasier proved why she leads the league in scoring as she finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Frasier shot 8-for-15 from the field and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Laura Marquardt accounted for a dozen markers while Tacarra Harris added eight points and six rebounds in the loss for the Lady Indians (16-8, 6-6 SAC).

It was a close contest in the opening half that saw three lead changes and three ties. Tusculum held its biggest lead of the period as TC went on a 5-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer by Oliver as the Pioneers led 29-21 with 6:38 on the clock. The Lady Indians would make a late second half run and capped if off with a steal and three-pointer by Ashley Marine at the buzzer as TC led by only three (34-31) at the intermission.

With the score deadlocked at 46-46 with 13:42 remaining in the game, Tusculum went on an 8-0, including a pair of steals by Shank and Gunn’s three-point play as TC led 54-46. The Lady Indians would cut into the TC lead and trail by six (58-52) after a pair of free throws by Marquardt. Tusculum responded with a lay-up by Kat Spears and another trey by Oliver as the Pioneers led by double digits again at 63-52 with 8:10 remaining.

Tusculum would increase its lead to 76-61 on Oliver’s three-pointer with 3:52 that tied the SAC record currently held by her and Presbyterian’s Chris Mitchum (1992-96).

The Pioneers went 9-for-22 from three-point land on the night and shot 85.7 percent from the foul line, including 11-for-11 in the second half as TC completed the season sweep over the Lady Indians.

Newberry out-rebounded the Pioneers by a 42-33 margin, but Tusculum forced 21 turnovers, including 11 in the opening half.

The league title is Tusculum’s first as a NCAA Division II member and first since the 1995-96 campaign when the Pioneers went 30-5 en route to its second straight TVAC title.

Tusculum returns to action Saturday night at 6 p.m. when the Pioneers host Brevard College in a non-league contest. Newberry is also at home on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match-up with Wingate University.

- TC -