SW Virginia News

Tusculum Women’s Basketball Escapes Emory & Henry, 57-52, Wednesday In SAC Showdown

The Tusculum University Women's Basketball Team (7-12, 2-9 SAC) outscored Emory & Henry College (7-13, 4-8 SAC) by a 15-7 margin in the fourth quarter to post a come-from-behind 57-52 win in South Atlantic Conference action.

The BasicsFINAL SCORE – Tusculum 57, Emory & Henry 52LOCATION – Emory, VirginiaVENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King CenterRECORDS – Emory & Henry (7-13, 4-8 SAC); Tusculum (17-5, 8-4 SAC)

How It Happened- The two squads battled through the opening 10 minutes with E&H leading, 18-15. The Wasps had the largest lead of the period at five (18-13) with 24 seconds on the clock, but the last basket went the way of the Pioneers, closing the gap to three.- Emory & Henry extended its lead to 29-21 midway through the second quarter as they finished on a 5-2 run for a 34-25 halftime advantage.- Coming out of the break, Tusculum scored nine in a row to knot the contest at 34 points apiece at the 5:47 mark, but an 11-5 run by Emory & Henry made it 45-39 with 1:40 left in the frame. A three-point bucket by the Pioneers made it a 45-42 contest with one quarter to play.- Five in a row by TU to start the fourth was good for a 47-45 lead but sophomore guard Mimi Traynham (Richmond, Va.) hit a three-pointer to put E&H back ahead, 48-47, with 8:40 remaining in the game. The Pioneers scored seven in a row to go up 54-48, but the Wasps closed the gap to two (54-52) with just over two minutes to go. Tusculum converted three of its final four free throws to come away with the 57-52 win.

Emory & Henry Individual Leaders- Redshirt freshman forward Breanna Yarber (Meadowview, Va.) led the Wasps with 15 points and six rebounds, adding two assists while senior guard Taylor Owens (Bristol, Tenn.) had nine points off the bench.- Sophomore forward Emma Santoro (King, N.C.) notched eight points and nine rebounds while sophomore guard Hannah Spainhour (King, N.C.) added seven points and two assists.

Tusculum Individual Leaders- Mya Belton notched a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds and two steals as Jami Tham went for a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.- Blayre Schultz tacked on 12 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds with Deidre Cheremond recording eight points and nine rebounds off the bench.

A Deeper Look- Emory & Henry hit just 22-of-65 (33.8%) of its field goal attempts including six makes from beyond the three-point arc. The Wasps only made three trips to the free throw line, going 2-for-3 (66.7%).- Tusculum shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) for the game, also connecting on six buckets from long range. The Pioneers were a chilly 5-for-12 (41.7%) from the charity stripe.- TU led, 43-33, on rebounding and outscored E&H by a 28-24 margin on points in the paint.- The Wasps forced the Pioneers into 21 turnovers, leading 15-9 on the ensuing possession.

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