Visiting Anderson University shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and rallied for a 58-51 win over Tusculum College in a South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball game Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.

Tilde Ahlin led the Trojans (10-13, 7-8 SAC) with 16 points and six rebounds off the bench as Anderson won at Pioneer Arena for the first time in five visits.

Alishia Mosley led the Pioneers (15-8, 9-6 SAC) in scoring for the third straight game with 18 points, including four three-pointers, but Tusculum could not overcome 39 percent shooting (19-for-49) in the contest in losing for the third consecutive game. Earlier in the day, Tusculum learned it was ranked sixth in the first NCAA Division II Southeast Regional rankings of the 2011-12 season.

In a game that featured seven ties and nine lead changes, the Trojans took the lead for good with 12:03 left on a three-pointer by Lauren Woods, and nursed the advantage down the stretch despite leading by no more than seven points.

Tusculum led 16-9 with 11:48 left in the first half following back-to-back baskets by Mosley, but Anderson chipped away and tied the score at 21-21 on an Ahlin three-pointer with 2:00 left in the half. After Mosley's basket with 1:09 to play before intermission gave the Pioneers a 23-21 lead, Tusculum had to survive four missed shots by Anderson in the final minute to carry the two-point edge to the locker room.

Mosley led the Pioneers with nine points in the first half, but Tusculum shot 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from the field as a team. Anderson was slightly better in the first half at 37.5 percent (9-for-24), and was led by 10 points from Ahlin.

The score was tied five times in the first five minutes of the second half, the final time at 34-34 on a layup by Staci Hicks with 14:47 to play in the game. April McCann's layup gave Tusculum a 36-34 lead at the 14:13 mark, and Linda Aughburns' bucket with 13:23 remaining allowed the Pioneers to take a 38-35 edge.

However, a 7-0 spurt by the Trojans over the next 4 1/2 minutes proved too much for the Pioneers to overcome, though twice Tusculum was able to pull within two at 42-40 and again at 53-51 with 2:22 left. However, Alissa Diaz hit a shot with 1:26 to play to double the Trojan lead to four at 55-51, and she added two free throws with 37 seconds left for insurance.

Diaz finished with just eight points for the Trojans, but score six of them in the final eight minutes to help Anderson maintain its lead. Amanda Parris also reached double figures for the Trojans with 11 points, while Sierra Simpson had six assists and four steals.

Hicks and McCann each scored nine points for the Pioneers, with Hicks grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds, all on the defensive glass. McCann dished out five assists and Kendal Baxter tied her career highs with four assists and five steals, but finished with just seven points in 37 minutes.

As a team, Anderson went 7-for-14 from three-point range while Tusculum was 7-for-20 from beyond the arc. Neither team had much success getting to the line, as the Pioneers were 6-for-12 and the Trojans were 7-for-10. The teams finished dead even in rebounds at 29 and in turnovers with 19.

The Pioneers participated in the WBCA "Play 4Kay" Night in Wednesday's game, as Tusculum's players, coaches and support staff wore pink to promote awareness of breast cancer. Half of all gate proceeds for the game will be donated to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

Tusculum will look to snap its slide on Saturday when they travel to SAC leader Catawba for a 2 p.m. tipoff.