Downs shot 7-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line as the Lakers (1-0) shot 53.3 percent from the field in the contest (24-of-45). Brandon Robinson added 15 points, while Juron Dobbs and Torrin Greene added nine and eight points, respectively.
Tusculum’s Tommy Klempin tallied career-highs with 14 points and seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Rob Troutman added 13 markers, five boards and three assists, while Kevin Vest added 10 points and three boards in his Tusculum debut. Justin Steigerwald and Dionte Grey each posted eight points in the loss.
The contest was a back and forth battle in the first 20 minutes with 11 lead changes and eight ties. With the score tied at 26-26 with 3:11 remaining in the opening half, CSU went on a 10-2 spurt, capped off by a Greene three-pointer with 49 seconds left to take a 36-28 lead. Troutman answered with a trey of his own as the Pioneers trailed 36-31 at the intermission.
The Lakers scored the first five points of the of the second period, including a three-point play by Michael Thorogood and a Downs jumper to lead 41-31 with 16:53 left. TC newcomer Sean Rowe nailed a three pointer on the next possession, but that’s as close as TC would get for the remainder of the evening.
The contest was a stalemate as the Pioneers would get no closer than eight points, but the Lakers were unable to push their lead past a 13. Tusculum cut the deficit to single digits at 56-48 following a steal and a lay-up by Steigerwald.
A turning point of the game came at the 5:48 mark as Troutman drove to the baseline and connected on a bucket, but was whistled for and offensive charge and his fifth foul. The Lakers responded with four straight points including a pair of Downs’ free throws and a Dobbs’ lay-up as CSU led by a dozen at 60-48 with 5:24 left.
Tusculum would cut the deficit to eight once again as Grey connected on two free throws and Klempin followed with a lay-up to trailed 62-54 with 3:04 left in the game. But that’s as close as the Pioneers would get as the Lakers would increase its lead 13 en route to the victory.
Clayton State forced 18 turnovers and converted those Tusculum miscues into 20 points. TC edged CSU 32-30 in points in the paint, while the Lakers won the rebounding battle by a slim, 27-26 margin.
Tusculum will host three-time defending NCAA Division II Southeast Region Champion Augusta State University at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the final game of the SAC/PBC Challenge. Augusta State opened the season with a 78-72 victory over SAC newcomer Anderson University in Friday’s first game. Anderson and Clayton State will face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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