HARTSVILLE, S.C. --- A 22-2 first-quarter run sparked Coker University to a 95-55 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball Friday afternoon at the DeLoach Center.
Yasmine Cook scored 18 points, Shawnteanna Tillman added 17 and Janay Legagneur had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the 18th-ranked Cobras (15-3, 10-2 SAC), who outrebounded the Pioneers (2-16, 2-10 SAC) by a 62-27 margin including 26 second-chance points off 28 offensive rebounds.
Abbi Douglas was the lone player in double figures for the Pioneers with 15 points and five rebounds, with nine points from Aisha Patel and seven each from Ema Nagyova and Martina Garofalo. Tusculum shot 35.2 percent (19-for-54) from the field and 10-for-21 from the foul line and had 23 turnovers which Coker turned into 27 points.
Dasia Ferguson also reached double figures for Coker with 12 points in 19 minutes, with eight points each from Lynda Young and Shyrique Parker. Coker was 44.3 percent (39-for-88) from the field but missed its final 23 attempts from three-point range after opening the game with back-to-back threes from Tillman and Ja'Kea Brunson.
Tusculum had an early 3-2 lead on a three-pointer from Douglas, but Coker scored 14 straight over a 2 1/2 minute span before Douglas connected on a jumper with 5:48 left in the first quarter. The Cobras then ran off eight straight to go up 24-5 with 4:14 left in the period, with Caroline McDowell ending the run on a three for the Pioneers.
Coker led 34-19 after one quarter and built a 53-27 lead on a layup by Kristynn Knight with 2:55 remaining int he first half. Tusculum closed the half on a 10-3 run, with three points apiece from Patel and Angela Gomez and two each from Garofalo and Douglas, but Coker had a 56-37 lead at intermission.
Douglas led all players with 11 points in the first half, and the Pioneers shot 43.3 percent (13-for-30) from the field but just 6-for-13 at the foul line. Cook had a team-high 10 points for the Cobras in the half, as Coker shot 57.1 percent (24-for-42) from the field and had a 29-10 rebounding edge over Tusculum.
The Pioneers mustered just two field goals and six points in the third quarter, with a 10-0 run from the Cobras pushing their lead to 76-43 after three. Nagyova and Patel would hit three-pointers in the final quarter for the Pioneers, with Brooke Calvert tacking on a pair of foul shots with 33 seconds left to close the scoring.
Patel was 3-for-4 on three-pointers and had four rebounds and two steals for the Pioneers in 29 minutes off the bench. McDowell played a season-high 21 minutes for the Pioneers and had four rebounds and two assists to go along with her first-half three-pointer. Tusculum was 7-for-13 from three-point range as a team in the game.
Tusculum will travel to Carson-Newman to face the Eagles on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles (14-4) remain tied atop the SAC standings at 10-2 following their 101-73 win over Catawba on Friday afternoon. Carson-Newman beat Tusculum 71-53 in the first meeting of the season on Dec. 10 at Pioneer Arena.
