Tusculum's Gunn notches program's first triple-double

All-American Jasmine Gunn added to her already impressive resume on Tuesday night, turning in the first triple-double in the recorded history of the Tusculum College women's basketball program as the Pioneers cruised to an 83-55 win over the visiting University of District of Columbia in Pioneer Arena.

Tusculum (9-5) shot over 50 percent from the floor for the third time this season, knocking down 52.6 percent of its field goal attempts, including an even 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. The Pioneers held District of Columbia (7-11) to a 34.5 percent mark from the floor, despite the Firebirds knocking down 54.5 percent (6-of-11) of their attempts from three-point range. Tusculum also won the battle on the glass by a 44-30 margin, including a 32-17 advantage on the defensive boards.

Gunn turned in one of the most impressive single-game performances in recent memory for the Pioneers, recording the first triple-double in program history with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while notching three steals. The 4-11 guard knocked down 8-of-11 attempts from the floor while converting all of her six free throw tries. Gunn also climbed closer to the top 10 on the program's all-time scoring list, moving past Julie Helle into 11th place with 1,147 career points.

A trio of Pioneers joined Gunn in double figures, led by Staci Hicks' 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Brittni Oliver turned in a career performance as well for the Pioneers, pouring in a personal-best 12 points with a career-high four three-pointers. Jasmine Parker also scored in double figures for the Pioneers, pouring in 10 markers on 5-of-8 shooting.

Lillian McGill and Tiffany Church led the way for the Firebirds, pouring in 18 and 17 points, respectively, while McGill notched a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds. Jasmine Rich also dished out a team-high six assists for UDC.

The game started off as a closely contested one, with neither team able to pull away by more than five points through the opening 14 minutes. Tusculum then took control, launching a 14-7 run over the final six minutes to take a 37-31 into the intermission. The half-ending run was highlighted by a pair of Oliver's four three-pointers, as well as four points each from Gunn and Parker.

Tusculum continued its strong play into the second half, opening the period with a quick 5-0 run to stretch the lead out to 42-31 at the 18:38 mark. The Firebirds chipped away over the next three minutes, whittling the lead down to five on a jumper by Church that cut the margin to 44-39 with 16 minutes to play. Tusculum responded in explosive fashion, erupting for a 16-4 run over the next six minutes to take a 60-43 lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Oliver and Kendal Baxter.

The Pioneers continued to push the tempo on the offensive end over the next five minutes, stretching the margin to 25 points with a 15-7 spurt which was capped by Oliver's fourth triple of the game that gave TC a 75-50 lead with 4:59 left on the clock. Gunn then made history less than 30 seconds later, recording her 10th board of the game at the 4:34 mark after knocking a loose rebound out of play off a UDC player. Tusculum then resumed its offensive attack, closing out its second straight win with an 8-5 spurt over the remaining five minutes to equal the final margin of 83-55.

Tusculum returns to the court on Saturday when the Pioneers host archrival No. 10 Carson-Newman College to resume their South Atlantic Conference schedule. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. in Pioneer Arena.