Kyle Moore poured in a game-high 29 points, and Wes Taylor pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the No. 14 Tusculum College men's basketball team to an 81-64 win over Tennessee Wesleyan College in the season opener.
Tusculum (1-0) shot 52.9% from the floor, including a 58.3% clip in the second half, while knocking down 57.1% of its attempts from behind the arc. The Pioneers won the battle on the glass in decisive fashion, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 45-25, including a 36-21 edge on the defensive boards.
Moore shot 8-of-15 from the floor and 7-of-12 from three-point range, recording game-highs of 29 points and nine assists. Jimmy Boone and Josh Bennett scored 18 points each and tied for the team-lead in steals with two thefts. Taylor pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive glass.
Matt Towry scored a team-high 15 points for the Bulldogs on 7-of-10 shooting as Matt Harper and E'Jay Ward chipped in with 14 and 12 markers, respectively. Ward recorded a game-high six steals while Towry turned in team-bests of seven rebounds and two blocks.
Neither team pulled away by more than seven points in a tightly contested first half that featured seven ties and seven lead changes. Tennessee Wesleyan opened the first half with a trio of three-pointers to take an early 9-3 lead in the initial two minutes. Tusculum rallied to tie the game at 10-10 before taking its first lead on a three-point play by Bennett at 11-10.
The two teams traded baskets for the next 10 minutes before the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to take a 33-26 lead with less than a minute remaining. Tennessee Wesleyan closed out the half with a quick 5-1 spurt to cut the lead to 34-31 heading into the half.
Tusculum opened the second half with a 14-6 run, highlighted by a trio of Moore three-pointers to stretch the margin to 48-37 with 15:25 remaining. The Pioneers then went on a 9-4 spurt to open a 16-point lead at 57-41 before edging the Bulldogs 24-23 over the final 12 minutes to clinch the season-opening win.
The Pioneers return to the court on Friday when they travel to Highland Heights, Ky. for a 5:30 p.m. matchup with Christian Brothers University in the John L. Griffin Classic, hosted by Northern Kentucky University.
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