Thursday, December 6, 2007

NEPTUNE SCORES 23, TUSCULUM BEATS KING 76-68

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Stephany Neptune recorded 23 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight steals to lead the Tusculum College women's basketball team to a 76-68 win over visiting King College Thursday night in non-conference action at Pioneer Arena.

Tusculum (6-2) wins its third straight game, while running its undefeated home record to 4-0 on the season. The Pioneers now begin a five-game road trip this Sunday afternoon as TC travels to Evansville, Ind. to take on the University of Southern Indiana. King (3-6) will be at Virginia-Wise on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m contest.

Ashli Oliver added 21 points for the Pioneers, while Nikki Van Dine finished with a dozen points, all coming on four 3-pointers in the first half. Neptune, who accounted for 15 markers in the second half, shot 8-for-13 in the game, along with 7-for-8 shooting from the free throw line.

Tiffany Daniel led four King players in double-figure scoring with a dozen points, while Bethany Wilson and Crista Burtnett accounted for 11 points each. Amanda Holmes rounded out the scoring with 10 points.

The game was hotly contested throughout as the score was tied eight times, while the lead changed hands on a dozen occasions. Seven of those ties came in the opening period.

Tusculum used an 8-0 run midway through the first period as Diana Neves canned a three-pointer and Jasmine Parker buried a 10-foot jumper as TC led 18-12 at the 9:27 mark. The Tornado responded with seven unanswered points, including a jumper by Holmes to move King ahead 21-18 a minute later.

Daniel tied the game for a seventh time at the 3:11 mark as she made three free throws to knot the contest at 30-30. Tusculum closed out the half with a 5-1 run as Oliver made a three-pointer and Neptune broke free under the basket for a lay-up as the Pioneers went into the intermission with a 35-31 advantage.

In the second half, the lead exchanged hands several times before TC used an 11-0 run to take its biggest lead of the night at 71-56 with 3:16 remaining. But King wouldn't go away as they trimmed the deficit with nine straight points over the next 2:57 as the Tornado forced four turnovers. Daniel converted one of those miscues into a three-point play with a 1:19 left to trail 71-65

Jasmine Gunn ended the run with her running jumper with 43 seconds remaining to move TC up by eight (73-65). A lay-up and a free throw by Whitney Tweed cut the deficit to 73-68 with 19 seconds left, but that's as close as King would get as Oliver made three of her last four three throws to seal the win.

Parker came off the bench to dish out a career-best 11 assists to go along with her four points.

King out-rebounded the Pioneers by a 41-28 margin, including 17-9 on the offensive glass, but Tusculum forced 26 turnovers, converting those into 26 points.

- TC -