GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team continues its challenging early-season schedule this week with a pair of games bracketing Thanksgiving, as the Pioneers host Limestone on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena and visit UVA Wise on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Wise, Virginia.
The Pioneers (1-3, 0-2 South Atlantic Conference) dropped a pair of games to ranked opponents last week, falling 94-68 to 21st-ranked Carson-Newman at home on Wednesday and 69-58 at 20th-ranked Catawba on Saturday. Tusculum has faced three ranked opponents in its first four games, and will now face an undefeated Limestone squad and a UVA Wise team that was picked third in the SAC preseason coaches poll.
This season's 1-3 start snaps a streak of four straight years in which the Pioneers opened with a 4-0 record. Tusculum last started with a 1-3 record during the 2016-17 season, when the Pioneers began the year at 1-7 en route to a final mark of 6-20.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
Carson-Newman University used a 24-4 third-quarter run to pull away and defeat Tusculum 94-68 Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena. The Eagles outscored the Pioneers 37-14 in the third quarter to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 77-47 advantage. Lindsey Taylor led all players with 26 points and 11 rebounds, as four players reached double figures for the Eagles, who shot 51.6 percent (33-for-64) from the field as a team and outrebounded the Pioneers by a 42-28 margin. Carson-Newman also scored 24 points off 21 Tusculum turnovers.
Mya Belton paced the Pioneers with 18 points, and Jalia Arnwine added 13 points and a career-best seven assists. Off the bench, Myajae Eubanks chipped in 11 points and five rebounds, and Jenna Kallenberg contributed nine points and four boards for the Pioneers. Alyssa Walker, who battled foul trouble for the second time in three games, hit both of her three-point attempts and had six points in 13 minutes of action for the Pioneers. Kallenberg was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc for Tusculum, while Arnwine was 3-for-8 from long range. Sophie Henry played 34 minutes and had five points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals with just one turnover in 34 minutes before fouling out in the final minute.
Tusculum got off to a red-hot shooting start, hitting five of their first six from three-point range and shooting 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from the field in the first quarter. However, the Pioneers tailed off to finish the game at 41.8 percent (23-for-55) shooting and 10-for-28 (35.7 percent) from long range.
On Saturday, Sara McIntosh tied her career high with 25 points and Shemya Stanback had 14 points and 16 rebounds to lift 20th-ranked Catawba to a 69-58 victory over Tusculum at Goodman Gymnasium. The Indians led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before the Pioneers rallied to within two points early in the fourth. However, a 9-0 run by Catawba proved decisive as the Indians put the game away at the foul line by going 17-for-22 at the stripe in the game and 13-for-16 in the second half.
The Pioneers committed just 12 turnovers against an Indians defense that came into the game forcing 29 turnovers per game, but Tusculum shot 33.8 percent (24-for-71) from the field and 6-for-29 from three-point range. The Pioneers were outrebounded 56-38 and shot 4-for-9 from the foul line as a team, while allowing Catawba to score 18 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds. Tusculum's defense did force Catawba into 17 turnovers, which the Pioneers converted into 23 points, and the TU bench outscored the Catawba reserves by a 32-9 margin.
Tusculum was led by Chloe Warrington and Jordan Rogers, who scored 12 points apiece off the bench. Warrington was 4-for-8 from three-point range and had six rebounds, while Rogers added four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 28 minutes. Belton added 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots and Walker contributed eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Belton is the lone Pioneer averaging double figures, leading the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and in rebounding at 7.8 per game. Belton also ranks second in the SAC with 2.0 blocks per game, and is fourth in the conference with 33.5 minutes per game. Belton has scored in double figures in three of the Pioneers' four games and has at least one three-pointer and one blocked shot in all four games.
Warrington shares the team lead in three-pointers with eight (in 20 attempts) and is averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Her eight threes are tied for 10th in the conference and she ranks 16th in three-point percentage at 40 percent. Warrington has scored in double figures twice with 12-point games against Belmont Abbey on Nov. 20 and Catawba this past Saturday. Counting her two years at Phoenix College and two years at Fort Lewis, Warrington has made 190 three-pointers in her collegiate career.
Arnwine has moved into a tie for fourth place on the Tusculum career three-pointer list with 159, joining Chassity Martin who made 159 threes from 2003 to 2007. Next on the list for Arnwine is Nikki Van Dine, who hit 177 three-pointers from 2007-09. She is third on the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game and is shooting 25 percent (10-for-40) from the field and 28.6 percent (6-for-21) from three-point range. Arnwine is averaging a career-best 6.3 rebounds per game (22nd in the SAC) and is second in the conference in minutes at 34.8 per game.
Rogers set a Tusculum career high with 12 points in 28 minutes against Catawba, boosting her season scoring average to 6.8 points per game. Rogers, who is also averaging 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, is tied for 10th in the SAC in assists while playing 20.0 minutes per game. Henry is fourth in the conference in assists per game at 4.5, third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.6 and tied for fifth in steals with a team-best 2.0 per game.
Kallenberg and Walker are each averaging 6.5 points per game for the Pioneers, with Walker shooting 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from the field and Kallenberg at 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from three-point range. Freshman Myajae Eubanks is at 5.5 points per game off the bench for the Pioneers and leads the team in shooting at 53.3 percent (8-for-15).
As a team, the Pioneers lead the SAC in three-point attempts per game (29.5) and are second in three-pointers made per game (8.0), but rank seventh in three-point percentage at 27.1 percent. The Pioneers are last in the conference in rebound margin, at a deficit of minus-11.3 rebounds per game, and are next-to-last in both free throws made (7.5) and attempted (12.0) per game, along with total rebounds per game (35.8).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Limestone is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the SAC after opening conference play with wins over UVA Wise (75-68) and Newberry (57-43). Senior guard Quin Byrd is averaging 18.0 points per game, scoring 19 twice and 17 twice, and is tied for second in the SAC in scoring while ranking third in assists at 4.8 per game. Sophomore guard Reagan Kargo is averaging 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and graduate guard Reagan McCray averages 10.3 points per game. In the post, senior center Vonshayla Webb averages 8.3 points per game and a team-high 7.5 boards per game while ranking second in the conference in shooting at 60.9 percent (14-for-23). Both Byrd and McCray were preseason second-team All-SAC selections.
Defensively, Limestone ranks second in the conference in points allowed at 56.8 per game, and leads the conference in opponent three-point percentage at a paltry 17.6 percent (12-for-68) while forcing 20.8 turnovers per contest. Limestone is third in the conference in scoring average (72.3 ppg) and third in field-goal percentage at 41.3 percent. Limestone also turns the ball over just 14.0 times per game, second-best in the league.
Tuesday's game will be Limestone's first-ever trip to Pioneer Arena. The Saints were scheduled to play at Tusculum on Feb. 13 of last season, but the game was canceled due to COVID protocols. The Pioneers beat the Saints 70-46 on the road on Dec. 9 of last season, in the first meeting between the schools since the first-ever matchup on January 14, 1984 which Limestone won 93-75.
UVA Wise, picked third in the SAC preseason coaches poll, has started the season with four straight losses, including a 75-68 setback to Limestone last Wednesday and a 61-40 loss at Anderson on Saturday. The Cavaliers, who will be playing their home opener on Tuesday against Mars Hill, have struggled from three-point range, ranking last in the conference in both three-pointers made (2.8 per game) and percentage (18.6 percent. Like Tusculum, Wise has had a tough time on the boards as the Cavaliers are being outrebounded by 9.3 per game.
Junior guard Nia Vanzant has led the Cavaliers in scoring through four games at 15.0 per game (seventh in the SAC). She leads the conference in free throws, going 18-for-23 at the stripe, and is third in minutes per game at 34.5 per contest. Senior forward Kalee Johnson and junior guard Caitlyn Ross were each first-team preseason All-SAC, but Johnson is averaging 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 36.5 percent from the field and Ross is at 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game after posting 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last year.
The Pioneers and Cavaliers split their two regular-season meetings last year, with each winning at home. Tusculum beat UVA Wise 79-68 in the Cavaliers' season opener in November, and the Cavs beat the Pioneers 80-72 in the final game of the regular season on Feb. 24. Tusculum leads the all-time series 21-8, and are 8-7 all-time on the road against Wise.
TICKETS
Tickets for 2021-22 Tusculum home basketball games are $10 for all entrants and children 12 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students will be admitted free and valid Tusculum ID is required.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Fans can watch the action of Tusculum women's basketball all season at TusculumPioneers.com on the Pioneer Sports Network and the SAC Digital Network. The radio call of the games will also be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.
