Jan. 19, 2008

Final Stats

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Emily Mason led the Lady Eagles with 21 points, including 16 in a second half rally, but Tusculum held off Carson-Newman to get a 79-74 victory Saturday afternoon. The loss puts the Lady Eagles record at 8-8 and 3-2 in the SAC.

Tusculum led by 17 at halftime (44-27) and by as many as 19 in the second period (46-27), but the Lady Eagles rallied furiously to close the gap, just barely falling short.

TC's Shantae Shank tallied 16 points and four steals, Stephany Neptune recorded a double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kat Spears accounted for 10 points off the bench in the win.

In addition to Mason, Shari Buford and Tashea Ledbetter finished with 15 and 12 points, respectively for the Lady Eagles.

TC jumped out of the gate with seven straight points and finished off the period with a 15-6 run, capped off by a lay-up by Jasmine Parker in the final seconds as TC led by 17. Tusculum shot 54 percent in the first half while forcing 11 C-N turnovers and converting those miscues into 19 first half points.

In the second half, the Pioneers took its biggest lead of the day at 50-31 following another lay-up by Parker with 17:30 left in the game. C-N chipped away at the deficit and cut the TC lead to single digits at 62-53 after a lay-up by Ashley Kyle with 8:53 left. Carson-Newman cut the TC advantage to five (62-57) after a Buford lay-up. TC answered and moved its lead back to double-digits at 71-61 following a three-point play by Spears with five minutes remaining.

Carson-Newman made one final push as it went on an 11-3 run over the next four minutes as Buford made one of two free throws with 57 seconds remaining as TC led 74-72. But a driving lay-up by Gunn and foul with 31 seconds left gave TC a five-point lead (77-72). Ashley Tipton missed a three-point shot on the Lady Eagles' next trip of the floor and TC came up with the rebound. Gunn finished with a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Tipton, who entered the game as the nation's top three-point shooter, was held to 0-for-4 shooting beyond the arc and four points. Tipton led C-N with a team-best six assists and went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.

Gunn shot 7-for-14 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

C-N will return to action Wednesday as the Lady Eagles face Brevard College in a non-conference tilt in Brevard, N.C.