Lady Railsplitters Upset Tusculum 74-72, Snap Pioneers' 29 Game Home Streak

Box Score

GREENEVILLE, TN -- A pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds enabled LMU to pull out the 74-72 win over Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference action Wednesday evening.  The win was LMU's first over the Pioneers since 2005 and snaps the Tusculum's 29 game home winning streak, which was the second-longest home winning streak in NCAA Division II.  

The two teams swapped leads early until Tusculum put together a 12-2 run midway through the first half to take a 20-10 lead with 9:50 to go in the half.  Every time the Lady Railsplitters made a run Tusculum responded with one of their own and LMU could never get closer than five points.  Tusculum led at the half 39-33.

The Lady Railsplitters came out in the second half and went on a run of their own that tied the game 48-48 with 11:28 to go.  Both teams traded baskets and free throws before LMU took a 66-64 lead on a jumper from Blandine Kikwiki-Mamuku (Kinshasa, DR Congo) with 4:05 to go.

After a pair of free throws from Whitney Holmes (Oklahoma City, OK) that put LMU up 67-64, Tusculum went inside to 6'8" center Catherine Hintz (Hastings, MN) to cut the lead to 67-66.  Tusculum then stole the ball and Brittni Oliver (Kokomo, IN) scored on the lay-up.  LMU then went down the court and missed a three-pointer, but Dayshalee Salaman (Carolina, PR) grabbed the rebound and took it in for a lay-up with 1:00 to go.

Hintz then missed a lay-up with 51 seconds to go and LMU rebounded the ball.  Kikwiki-Mamuku then missed a jumper and TC's Kat Spears (Memphis, TN) rebounded the ball.  Spears handed the ball off to Jasmine Gunn (Nashville, TN) who was then fouled. Gunn made both free throws to put Tusculum up 70-69 with 24 seconds to go.

LMU then went down the court and Carolyn Mills hit a big three-pointer with 14 seconds to go. Gunn then drove down the court and hit a 10 foot jumper to tie the game 72-72 with 4.7 seconds to go.  Salaman then drove down the court and drew a foul from Tusculum's Hintz with 0.5 seconds to go.  After a Tusculum timeout, Salaman hit both free throws to put LMU up 74-72. The inbounds pass was then picked off by LMU's Amberly O'Dell (Argos, IN) to seal the victory.

LMU (3-9, 1-2 SAC) was led by Salaman and Mills with 24 points each.  O'Dell added in ten points.  Mills, Kikwiki-Mamuku and Holmes shared the honors on the boards as each pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Lady Railsplitters.

Tusculum (7-5, 1-2 SAC) was led by Gunn's 18 points.  Spears scored in 15 points while Staci Hicks (Loveland, OH) posted a double-double of eleven points and eleven rebounds.  Hintz also added in ten points for the Pioneers.

Tusculum won the rebounding battle, outrebounding LMU 52-43. 

LMU will host Brevard in SAC action Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the Turner Arena. Tusculum hosts Catawba at 2 p.m.

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