Tusculum remains 23rd in USA TODAY/ESPN Division II Top 25 poll

LILBURN, Ga. --- For the second consecutive week, the Tusculum College women's basketball team is ranked 23rd in the USA TODAY/ESPN Division II Top 25 poll, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association has announced.

The Pioneers (3-3) picked up three wins during the week, defeating Lewis University 93-82 and then-7th-ranked University of Indianapolis 83-64 in action at the UIndy Thanksgiving Classic, before downing King College 64-46 Monday evening.

Delta State (5-0) moved into the top spot in the poll after capturing 21 first-place votes, after top-ranked Arkansas Tech lost 85-73 to West Alabama and fell to sixth in the rankings. Lander (6-0), which defeated Tusculum 72-48 in the season opener on November 13, moved up one slot to second in the poll, followed by Fort Lewis, Washburn and Seattle Pacific.

Clayton State (8-0), a 72-65 winner over the Pioneers on November 21, climbed from 13th to ninth in the survey while Indianapolis dropped to 11th after its loss to Tusculum. Among the schools receiving votes are Pioneer opponents Shaw and USC-Aiken. Tusculum is the lone South Atlantic Conference team to earn votes in this week's rankings.

Tusculum opens South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon with a 4:00 p.m. game at Newberry in a rematch of last year's Food Lion SAC Tournament championship game, won 67-55 by the Pioneers.