GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Jasmine Gunn record her third straight 20-point game, and the Pioneers scored 31 points off turnovers to defeat Brevard College by a score of 78-55 in in South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday in Pioneer Arena.
Tusculum (16-9, 9-6 SAC) forced 26 Brevard (8-16, 2-12 SAC) turnovers, converting those miscues into 31 points, while edging the Tornados 39-35 on the glass. The Pioneers converted over 75 percent of their free throw attempts for the fifth time in its last seven games, connecting on 83.3 percent (25-for-30) of their chances at the charity stripe.
Gunn led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on 7-of-17 attempts from the floor, including a perfect 2-for-2 behind the arc. The 4-11 All-American also converted 11-of-13 attempts at the charity stripe while recording a game-high five steals. Gunn also dished out a game-high seven assists to become the third player in program history to reach the 500-helper plateau in her career, while also moving into a tie with Catawba great Ashley Cox for sixth on the SAC's all-time list.
Catherine Hintz joined Gunn in double figures with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while converting all five of her attempts at the free throw line. Freshman Kendal Baxter knocked down a trio of three-pointers to swell her season total to 78 triples, two shy of tying Nikki Van Dine for sixth on the program's single-season treys list. Kat Spears celebrated her senior day with a game-high nine rebounds to go with eight points, while also dishing out three assists.
Lindsay Brendle, Amanda Whitaker, and Holli Flippo led the way for Brevard with nine points each, as Samantha Winn chipped in eight markers for the Tornados. Whitaker and Winn paced the Tornados on the glass with six rebounds each, as Brendle also chipped in five boards to go with a team-high four assists.
Tusculum opened the game with five straight points, jumping out to an early 5-0 lead on a Jasmine Parker basket and a trio of free throws by Gunn before Brevard's Amber Roberts cut the margin to 5-3 with a three-pointer with 17:26 remaining in the first half. Winn gave the Tornados their first lead of the game with a triple less than a minute later, and after the teams traded baskets for the next four and a half minutes, Flippo knocked down a three-pointer to even the score at 13-13 with 12:17 to go in the half.
The Pioneers then began to pull away from there, launching a 10-0 run to open a 21-13 lead with a stretch that included eight markers by Gunn, the last of which capped the spurt with just under nine minutes remaining in the half. Brevard would chip away over the next three minutes, trimming the margin to 23-19 with a 6-0 spurt that was capped by an Asheley Watkins layup at the 5:50 mark. Tusculum stretched the lead back out to 28-19 with a quick 5-0 run, and after the Tornados closed the gap to 30-25 with just over two minutes remaining before the break, closed out the half with a 4-2 spurt to head into the intermission with a 34-27 lead.
Tusculum carried the momentum into the second half, opening the period with a 6-0 spurt to push the lead to 40-27 on a fast break layup by Parker with 18:14 to play. Brevard would cut the margin to 40-32 on Flippo's second three-pointer of the game before the Pioneers responded with a 14-2 run to push the lead to 54-34 with 13:18 remaining. The Pioneers led by no less than 13 points the rest of the way, as Gunn poured in 15 markers in the second half to lead Tusculum to its sixth straight win over the Tornados.
Tusculum returns to the court on Wednesday when the Pioneers conclude their regular season on the road against Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, N.C. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Stanford Arena.
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