Wednesday, January 25, 2006
PRESBYTERIAN DOWNS TUSCULUM 69-65
GREENEVILLE, TN — Freshman center Sharie Hopkins (Chesapeake, Va.) posted 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Presbyterian women’s basketball team to a 69-65 victory over Tusculum on Wednesday evening at Pioneer Arena. With the win, Presbyterian improves to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. Tusculum slips to 11-6 and 2-4 in the SAC.
Hopkins shot an impressive 9-for-12 from the field en route to her double-double performance. Wesley Campbell (Greenville, S.C.) also posted a double-dip for the Lady Blue Hose, tallying 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rebecca Wessinger (Laurens, S.C.) contributed 10 points and a team-high five assists.
Chassity Martin (Salem, Va.) led Tusculum with 19 points, and Ashli Oliver (Kokomo, Ind.) netted 15, including 5-for-9 from three-point range. Stephany Neptune (Wallkill, N.Y.) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Brooke Underwood (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded nine assists, and Amber Redding (Sevierville, Tenn.) tied her career-high with seven steals.
Presbyterian scored first on a lay-up by Hopkins and streaked to 12-4 lead with 11:37 remaining in the opening half. The lead expanded to 19-9 at the 7:40 mark before Oliver hit a three-pointer with 1:36 remaining in the stanza to spark a 6-0 Tusculum run. The Lady Hose carried a 29-26 advantage into intermission.
PC out-shot Tusculum 48 percent to 36 percent in the first half, but the Pioneers kept themselves in the contest by sinking 6-of-14 three-point attempts.
Martin opened the second period with a trey that tied the score at 29-29. She then hit a jumper to give the Pioneers their first lead of the game, 31-29, on TC’s next possession.
Tusculum built a 43-37 cushion with 14:28 showing on the clock, but Presbyterian whittled the advantage to 43-41 with a jumper by Wessinger at the 12:55 mark.
Holding a 47-45 edge just over midway through the half, Oliver and Brooke Waddell (Greeneville, Tenn.) drained three-pointers to push the Pioneers ahead 53-45 with 9:28 left to play. TC would maintain its lead until the 3:43 mark when PC's freshman forward Kerianne Blease (Saluda, S.C.) nailed a three-pointer to tie the score at 61-61.
PC regained the lead, 63-61, for the first time since the 18:00 mark on a pair of made free throws by Campbell. The Lady Blue Hose held on down the stretch, claiming the 65-63 victory.
Presbyterian shot 51.1 percent from the field, while Tusculum shot just 37.9 percent. The Lady Blue Hose out-rebounded the Pioneers 40-26.
Tusculum will return to action on Saturday when it hosts Lenoir-Rhyne for a 2 p.m. contest. Presbyterian will host Catawba on Saturday at 2 p.m.