Teshymia Tillman contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Lakers (5-0), who won their third game in as many days in large part to a 12-0 run over the final six minutes of the first half which turned a 24-18 deficit into a 30-24 lead at intermission.
Kendal Baxter scored 16 points in 32 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers (0-3), while senior guard Jasmine Gunn bounced back from first-half foul trouble to score all of her 15 points in the second half. Overall, Tusculum shot 32.8 percent (22-for-67) from the field and committed 27 turnovers in the game.
After five ties in the game's first 12 minutes, Tusculum turned a 16-16 deadlock into a 24-18 lead as Staci Hicks converted back-to-back baskets and Baxter drilled a pair of three-pointers, the latter coming with 6:02 left in the half.
From there, the Lakers reeled off 12 straight points to head to the locker room with a 30-24 lead. The Pioneers missed their final 12 shots from the field and had three turnovers in the final 90 seconds which led to six Clayton State points.
Clayton State continued their run by scoring eight of the first nine points of the second half to take its largest lead of the afternoon at 38-25 with 16:12 to go. Tusculum clawed back to within 47-42 following a three-point play by Gunn with 10:34 left, only to see the Lakers tally 11 of the next 14 points to restore their 13-point advantage at 58-45 with 7:25 remaining.
The Pioneers made one final run at the Lakers, cutting the deficit to 62-56 on a three-point play by Brittni Oliver with 2:06 to go, but Clayton State connected on four free throws in the final 43 seconds to lock up the victory. The Lakers went 4-for-10 from the foul line in the second half and finished at 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) in the game.
Tusculum enjoyed a 51-43 advantage in rebounding in the game, including 24 offensive boards. Linda Aughburns paced the Pioneers with a game-high 14 rebounds, while Tillman and Shacamra Jackson each had nine boards to lead the Lakers. Hicks added eight rebounds and finished with seven points in 21 minutes for Tusculum.
Jasmine Parker joined Gunn and Baxter in double figures for Tusculum with 10 points, while Breanna Fort went 5-for-7 from the field and tallied 11 points for Clayton State.
The Pioneers continue their challenging season-opening schedule with a pair of games at the University of Indianapolis Thanksgiving Classic next weekend. Tusculum will face Lewis University on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and takes on the 10th-ranked host Greyhounds on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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