Greeneville, Tenn.----The Tusculum University Pioneers opened the 2020-21 season with an 87-75 victory over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon. Tusculum starts the season 1-0 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Bulldogs fall to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the SAC.  

KEY STATS

- Both teams shot 44 percent from the field on the day
- Tusculum went 14-for-36 from three-point range (39 percent)
- Wingate was three-for-14 from beyond the arc (21 percent)
- The Pioneers held a 42-37 rebounding advantage and 22-15 edge in second-chance points
- WU scored 15 points off 16 Tusculum turnovers; The Pioneers had 16 points off 13 Wingate miscues
- The 'Dogs went 24-for-39 at the free throw line; Tusculum was 19-for-29
- The Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 36-22 in the paint
- The Tusculum bench outscored the WU bench 42-15

KEY BULLDOGS

- Kendrick Tucker led the Bulldogs with 21 points on nine-of-14 shooting
- Quantra Taylor added 13 points and 11 rebounds, going five-for-five from the field
- Francis Sio contributed 13 points and four assists for the Bulldogs
- Miguel Priest had seven points, two boards and two assists

NOTES

- Wingate is now 31-19 all-time against the Pioneers
- The Bulldogs are 12-12 at Tusculum
- The two teams split the season series last year, with both teams winning at home
- Second career 20-point game for Tucker; one point off his career high
- Sio has scored in double figures eight straight games; had 15 double-digit efforts last year
- Fourth career double-double for Taylor
- Two players made their Bulldog debut Saturday (Destin Clark and Kurtis Taylor)

FIRST HALF

- A pair of Taylor dunks and a Tucker jumper gave Wingate an early 10-5 lead
- Another Tucker bucket and a Sio triple put the 'Dogs on top 15-8 at the 12:47 mark
- Tusculum answered with a 31-8 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 16-point lead
- It was a Dyquavius Wilkins three-point play that capped the spurt to make it 39-23
- Tucker's triple capped a 5-0 Wingate run that got the Bulldogs within 11 with 1:45 to go
- Bell's free throws made it 41-30 with 17 seconds left, but a James West tip-in at the buzzer gave Tusculum a 13-point halftime lead

SECOND HALF

- Buckets from Taylor and Jarren Cottingham brought the Bulldogs within 10 two minutes into the second half
- Trenton Gibson's three put the Pioneers on top 51-38 at the 14:23 mark
- Two Vontrez Roberts free throws pulled Wingate back within 11, but Brandon Mitchell's layup made it 58-41
- Taylor got WU back within 13 with a layup at the midway point, but Justin Mitchell answered with a triple
- An Andreas Wilson layup made it 65-54 with 8:20 to go, but Tusculum again answered with a Keaston Brown triple
- Wingate used a 9-1 run to get within seven at the 3:31 mark
- Tucker had six points in the flurry that made it 71-63
- Kobe Funderburk had the answer for Tusculum, knocking down four threes over the next two minutes to make it 83-68
- The 'Dogs got no closer than 12 the rest of the way

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Tuesday, hosting Carson-Newman at 4 p.m. in the home opener
- The 'Dogs are back on the road next Saturday, traveling to Catawba for a 4 p.m. start