Pioneers Slow Down Eagles, 61-54
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- The Carson-Newman Eagles struggled to only 19 first-half points in a 61-54 loss to rival Tusculum in a South Atlantic Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Holt Field House. The visiting Pioneers controlled the tempo and forced 15 Carson-Newman turnovers in turning an 11-point halftime lead into their sixth win of the season.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. --- The Carson-Newman Eagles struggled to only 19 first-half points in a 61-54 loss to rival Tusculum in a South Atlantic Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Holt Field House.
The visiting Pioneers controlled the tempo and forced 15 Carson-Newman turnovers in turning an 11-point halftime lead into their sixth win of the season.
Senior forward Rob Troutman continued his hot shooting from long range by hitting three three-pointers and finishing with 17 points, sophomore guard Dionte Grey set a career high with 12 points and junior guard Kevin Vest hit a pair of clutch baskets in the final three minutes as the Pioneers (6-9, 3-2 SAC) picked up their ninth consecutive win at Holt Fieldhouse and defeated the Eagles (4-8, 1-3 SAC) for the 13th time in the last 18 meetings between the schools.
Antonio Sullivan scored all 15 of his points on five three-pointers for Carson-Newman, finishing as the only Eagle in double figures. Bradley Tumer tallied eight points and a game-high nine assists while Brandon Evans hit all three of his field-goal attempts and recorded eight points off the bench.
Both teams finished at 44 percent shooting from the field in the game, but the Pioneers enjoyed a 32-25 edge in rebounding and took advantage of their free-throw opportunities, as the top foul-shooting team in the South Atlantic Conference (76.3 percent) went 17-for-23 overall at the line including 10-for-10 in the final minute.
Justin Steigerwald, who played all 40 minutes, matched his career high of 19 points set at Newberry on December 4, while Grey surpassed his previous career best of 10 points set Sunday evening against Wingate. Grey also duplicated his season and career highs of five rebounds and four assists, while Steigerwald's eight rebounds were two shy of his personal best of 10.
The Eagles held the lead for most of the first five minutes before the Pioneers tied the contest at 6-6 on a three-pointer by Troutman. He added two more three-pointers to help the Pioneers extend their advantage to 22-16 with 4:24 left in the half, part of an 11-0 run that saw Tusculum build a 28-16 lead at the 2:30 mark.
The Pioneers went to halftime with a 28-19 lead as Troutman led all players with nine points. Junior center Tommy Klempin added five points and a game-high six rebounds, while Steigerwald chipped in with eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Tumer paced the Eagles with five points, with Evans and Joe Meady adding four points apiece off the bench.
Tusculum took its biggest lead of the game at 30-19 on a layup by Grey on the Pioneers' first possession of the second half, and never surrendered the advantage despite seeing the Eagles rally within 34-31 with 12:24 left and 43-41 with 6:34 to go.
Ishmael Sanders drilled a three-pointer with 2:50 left to pull the Eagles within 47-44, but Vest connected on consecutive possessions to give the Pioneers a 51-44 lead with 1:10 to go. The Pioneers put the game away at the free throw line, going 10-for-10 in the final 50 seconds as Troutman and Steigerwald sank four apiece while Grey added a pair with 12 seconds to go.
Klempin finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play for the Pioneers, while Vest battled his way to six points and three boards in 34 minutes. Sullivan went 5-for-10 from three-point range, including a pair of treys in the final minute, for the Eagles. Erwin Staten led Carson-Newman with five rebounds, all on the defensive end, while Evans blocked four shots.
Both teams finished with 15 turnovers in the contest, with Tusculum converting the Carson-Newman miscues into 18 points while the Eagles scored just nine points off Pioneer errors. Carson-Newman was dominant in bench play, outscoring the Tusculum reserves by a 21-0 margin.
Tusculum, which is 3-0 on the road in the South Atlantic Conference this season, will look for its third straight victory Saturday afternoon at Catawba in a SAC contest that is scheduled to tip at 4 p.m. Carson-Newman plays host to Newberry on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
