BLUE HOSE WIN 20TH IN 52-43 VICTORY OVER PIONEERS
GREENEVILLE, TN - In a
defensive gem, Presbyterian College placed three players in
double-figures including Jeff
Whittle's
12 points as the Blue Hose recorded their 20th win
defeating host Tusculum College 52-43 Saturday afternoon in
South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action.
The Blue Hose (20-4, 6-2 SAC) extend their winning streak to
five games and guarantee their first 20-win season since
1996-97. PC is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II
South Atlantic Region. Tusculum falls to 12-9 overall
and 3-5 in league play.
Whittle (Srasburg, Va.) shot 4-for-7 from the floor including
three 3-pointers as Presbyterian sweeps the season series over
the Pioneers (12-9, 3-5 SAC). Senior Chuck
Rayford (Greenville, S.C.) added 11 points and
a game-high six rebounds while rookie Michael
Drum (Rural Hall, N.C.) tallied 11 markers and three
assists in the PC win.
The Blue Hose connected on eight 3-pointers while shooting
16-for-18 (88.9%) from the free throw line, including 12 in a
row to start the game.
Senior Pat Compton (Fairfield, Ohio) led Tusculum with
11 points, while Jonathon Shepherd (Casino, Australia)
came off the bench with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
In a game dominated by defense and utilizing possessions,
Tusculum jumped out to an 18-11 lead with 1:55 remaining the
opening half. Presbyterian finished the period with a
9-3 run sparked by six points from Rayford. Rayford
buried a three-pointer with 26 seconds left before halftime
and converted a conventional 3-point play with three seconds
remaining as PC trailed 21-20 at the break.
The second half was more possession basketball as the lead
bounced back and forth but TC went cold going scoreless 6:23.
Presbyterian took advantage scoring 14-0 spurt to move ahead
by their largest margin at 43-27 with 8:02 left in the
contest. The Pioneers couldn't mount a comeback as
Presbyterian shot 13-for-15 at the foul line in the second
half while TC only made eight trips to the charity stripe for
the game, all in the second half (4-8, 50%).
Presbyterian scored 13 points off 15 Tusculum turnovers, while
making only 12 miscues on the afternoon.
The Pioneers return to action Wednesday night when they host Catawba College, while PC will travel to Wingate University to face the Bulldogs at Cuddy Arena. Both contests are slated for 8 p.m.