Ervin Williams added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Patriots (3-1), who scored on the game's opening possession and never trailed against the Pioneers (2-5), shooting 48.3 percent from the field for the game and converting 27 Tusculum turnovers into 30 points.
Kevin Vest was the lone player to reach double figures for the Pioneers, matching his season high 11 points to go along with a season-high six rebounds. Tusculum did finish with a 35-27 advantage in rebounding over St. Catharine, but shot just 40 percent (18-for-45) from the field and managed just 12 trips to the foul line as a team.
The Patriots scored the game's first five points, but the Pioneers cut the deficit to 11-10 following a three-pointer by Ryan Slusher with 13:19 left in the first half. St. Catharine then embarked on a 16-0 run, punctuated by a fast-break dunk by Marquis Lee that gave the Patriots a 27-10 lead with 6:50 left in the first half.
A tip-in just before the buzzer by Williams gave him 14 points in the first half and sent the Patriots to the locker room with a 43-23 lead. Johnson added seven points and four rebounds for the Patriots in the opening half, while the team shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) and hassled the Pioneers into 12 turnovers. Slusher paced Tusculum with five points off the bench in the first half.
St. Catharine opened the second half with a 14-5 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon at 57-28 following a basket by Johnson with 15:38 to go. Tusculum got as close as 20 at 67-47 with 5:33 left, but managed just one field goal the rest of the way.
Rob Troutman led all players on the glass with a season-high eight rebounds for Tusculum, while Slusher set a season high with seven boards and finished with seven points and four assists in 30 minutes off the bench. Lee led the Patriot reserves with 11 points, while Terrance Withers also reached double figures with 11 points to go with a game-high five steals.
Tusculum will be back in action next Saturday when the Pioneers open South Atlantic Conference play with a 2:00 p.m. tipoff at Newberry.
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