Greeneville, Tenn.----The Tusculum College Pioneers ended the game on a 23-13 run Saturday afternoon, erasing a seven-point deficit en route to an 88-85 victory over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action. Tusculum improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
Cory Fagan had 24 points to lead the Tusculum attack, hitting six-of-10 shots from three-point range.
Ronnie Baylark had 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, going nine-for-10 at the free throw line while
Zach Davis had 15 points and five rebounds.
Chase Mounce contributed 12 points and nine boards for the Pioneers.
Sophomore guard
Mike Baez (Orlando, Fla.) had a season-high 21 points to lead the Wingate attack, going three-for-seven from beyond the arc. Senior center
Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 14 points and six rebounds, going five-for-seven from the field while guards
Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) and
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) had 12 points each.
A pair of Baylark free throws gave Tusculum a 19-15 lead seven minutes into the opening half, while a pair of Mounce free throws pushed the lead to six. A Baez three and two Baez free throws tied it at 21 at the 9:24 mark, while another Baez triple put Wingate on top. Threes from
Zach Hartle and
Keaton Dotson put the Pioneers on top by six with 4:42 remaining in the half, but threes from Lolar and
Charlie Hovasse (Colorado Springs, Colo.) tied it with two minutes left. A Fagan triple in the final minute helped the Pioneers take a 39-38 halftime lead.
Lolar's layup three minutes into the second half put the Bulldogs on top by three, but a Fagan triple and two Baylark free throws gave TC a 55-52 advantage. Dotson knocked down a three to extend the advantage to five, but buckets from Baez and Lolar got Wingate back within a point at the midway point of the half. A
Lee McCall (Indian Land, S.C.) layup and Baez dunk put the 'Dogs on top 65-63 with eight minutes to go in the game.
Four free throws from
Jeremy Williams (Monroe, N.C.), followed by a Hovasse three gave Wingate a 72-65 advantage at the 6:47 mark. Baylark cut the lead to three with a jumper, but Griffin pushed the advantage back to five with a layup. A Baylark triple got TC within two at the 1:52 mark, while Davis answered a Griffin bucket with a three-point play to make it a one-point game.
Lolar put Wingate on top by three with 90 seconds left on a pair of free throws, but two Fagan free throws and a Davis three gave the Pioneers an 85-83 advantage with 37 seconds remaining. A Baylark free throw made it a three-point game, but a Doyle layup got the 'Dogs back within one with nine seconds left. Davis drained two free throws with seven seconds to go to make it 88-85, and a desperation three-point attempt from Hovasse was off the mark at the buzzer.
Tusculum shot 43.6 percent from the field, hitting 12-of-25 shots from three-point range (48 percent). The Bulldogs shot 49.2 percent from the field, going seven-of-20 from beyond the arc (35 percent). Tusculum held a 38-33 rebounding advantage and a 13-12 edge in second-chance points. Wingate outscored the Pioneers 38-20 in the paint.
Wingate is back in action Tuesday, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne in the home opener 6 p.m.
