Pioneers Women's Basketball upset Division I ETSU, 59-51

Jasmine Gunn nets game-high 24 points in win

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. --- Jasmine Gunn poured home a game-high 24 points to give Tusculum College a 59-51 victory at Division I East Tennessee State University in a women's basketball exhibition game Monday night.

Kendal Baxter hit four three-pointers and added 14 points off the bench for the Pioneers, whose only deficit to the three-time defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Lady Bucs was 2-0 just over a minute into the game.

In a game that saw the victorious Pioneers shoot just 25 percent (16-for-64) from the field and the Lady Bucs grab 32 offensive rebounds, the difference came at the foul line as Tusculum went 23-for-30 from the stripe, including 13-for-17 in the second half, while ETSU finished just 8-for-14 in the contest.

It is the second time in four years that Tusculum has defeated a Division I opponent in an exhibition game. In 2007, the Pioneers downed Tennessee Tech 71-60 en route to winning the South Atlantic Conference regular-season championship.

Gunn shot 9-for-21 from the field and 6-for-8 from the foul line, and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action. The Women's Division II Bulletin preseason National Player of the Year scored nine of Tusculum's final 10 points over the final 7:16, including four foul shots in the final 1:42.

Latisha Belcher and Tara Davis shared the team lead in scoring for the Lady Bucs with 12 points apiece, but combined to go just 7-for-38 from the field. Belcher grabbed eight of her 10 rebounds on the offensive end as ETSU pulled 32 offensive boards and 65 rebounds in all.

Gunn scored the Pioneers' first seven points as Tusculum led 7-4 after four minutes of play, and the lead grew to 12-6 following a three-pointer by Baxter with 14:02 left in the first half.

The Lady Bucs pulled within a point on two occasions and finally tied the game at 26-26 on a basket by Destiny Mitchell with 2:15 to go in the half, but a bucket by Gunn with 49.1 seconds left restored the Pioneer lead at 28-26, an advantage they took to the locker room after Davis missed a shot just before the buzzer.

Gunn led the Pioneers with 11 points and five rebounds in the first half, as starting center Catherine Hintz was forced to the bench after picking up two fouls in the first 1:46. Baxter added eight points for the Pioneers, while Belcher was held to 1-for-10 shooting and a team-high six points for the Lady Bucs.

A basket by Belcher tied the game 28-28 in the opening moments of the second half, but Gunn gave the Pioneers the lead for good at 30-28 on two free throws with 19:12 to go. Leading 32-31, a putback by Hintz kickstarted a 10-2 run for the Pioneers which culminated in a three-pointer by Baxter with 13:02 left that gave Tusculum a 42-33 advantage with 13:02 remaining.

ETSU responded with six straight points to cut the Tusculum lead to 42-39 with 11:06 left, but the Pioneers came right back with seven unanswered to take their largest lead of the evening at 49-39 with 8:09 to go following a three-pointer by Baxter. The Lady Bucs would pull no closer than six points the rest of the way as Gunn hit a pair of clutch jumpers in the final five minutes.

In addition to Baxter's performance off the Pioneer bench, Linda Aughburns grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and added five points in 28 minutes in a reserve role. Hintz tallied four points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes, while Staci Hicks and Jasmine Parker pulled seven boards apiece. Brittni Oliver was held without a field goal for the Pioneers, but went 7-for-8 from the foul line for seven points in 23 minutes.

Tusculum will begin preparation for its regular-season opener on November 13 against Lander at 7:30 p.m. in the Peach Belt Classic at Greenwood, S.C.

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