EMORY, Va. --- Connor Jordan scored a season-high 24 points including 16 in the second half to lead Tusculum to a 72-65 South Atlantic Conference win over Emory & Henry Wednesday morning at the King Center.
The Pioneers (4-7, 2-3 SAC) snap a four-game losing streak while also recording their first road victory of the 2023-24 season. Emory & Henry slips to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in the league.
Tusculum overcame deficits at the end of each period to record the win. TU trailed by seven (31-24) in the first half and closed out with a 13-0 run in the last three minutes to take a 37-31 lead at the intermission. TU trailed again 58-52 with 5:30 left in the game and ended the contest with a 20-7 spurt to claim the victory.
Jordan went 6-of-12 from the floor including 3-of-5 from three-point territory and 9-of-10 from the free throw line, which was all in the second half. TU's Josiah Morris added 12 points while KJ Crump posted 10 markers off the bench.
The Emory & Henry duo of Jalen Leftwich and Gabe Brown contributed 14 points apiece for the Wasps.
TU's Akeem Odusipe broke a 63-63 tie with 55 seconds left with his two clutch free throws which gave the Pioneers the lead for good as Tusculum closed out the game with a 9-2 run.
E&H led 31-24 following a Brown jumper with 3:21 left in the first half. Morris converted a layup to kick start a 13-0 run for Tusculum. After a turnover, TU got three looks on its next possession with Jordan getting a basket to pull TU to within three (31-28). The Pioneers tied game on its next trip up the floor with a Jordan triple with 1:37 left in the half. Jacob Hobbs broke the tie with his jumper and Gemari Marshall made a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left to extend the lead to 35-31. Tusculum got a layup by Travis Pourciau just before the horn to take a 37-31 lead into the locker room.
The Wasps came out buzzing to start the second half scoring the first eight points of the period including a Brown jumper as E&H retook the lead at 39-37 with 17:58 remaining.
Morris snapped the skid and gave the lead back to Tusculum with his three-pointer as TU went back in front 40-39.
Neither team led by more than four points for the next 10 minutes before Cade Looney hit a jumper at the 5:55 mark to give the Wasps a 58-52 advantage.
TU scored seven straight thanks to three E&H turnovers on steals by Jordan, Morris and Marshall. The last theft by Marshall set up a three-pointer from Morris with 4:19 to go as the Pioneers led 59-58.
Brown made one of two free throws to tie the game at 59-59 with four minutes left, but Jordan broke the deadlock with his layup with 3:37 remaining. Jalen Leftwich tied the game at 61-61 for the Wasps with his two free throws and Looney broke the tie with his offensive rebound and put-back with 2:19 on the clock for a 63-61 lead.
Morris missed a layup for the Pioneers but TJ Printup kept the possession alive with his rebound and Morris converted on the second chance with his bucket with 1:38 to go.
Tusculum got the ball back on a turnover and called timeout with 1:13 remaining. Odusipe would be fouled with 55 seconds left. The 45 percent free throw shooter looked nothing like it and calmly drained both attempts to give the Pioneers a 65-63 lead.
Jackson came up with a steal with 48 seconds left and Jordan would be fouled. He would miss his first free throw attempt of the night, but hit the second for a 66-63 lead. The Wasps would be unable to get off a shot on its next possession committing the turnover.
Jordan would be sent to the free throw line again as he made both attempts to extend the TU lead to 68-63 with 36 seconds remaining.
E&H's Marshall Klug went to the basket and was fouled by the Pioneers. He would make both free throws to cut the deficit to 68-65 with 24 seconds left. Jordan would hit two more free throws and came up with a steal on the following possession and would be fouled again with 18 seconds remaining. He made both free throws to extend the lead to seven (72-65) to put the game out of reach.
The Wasps out-shot the Pioneers by almost 10 percent (46%-38%), but Tusculum got off 20 more field goal attempts (64-44) and took advantage of 23 E&H turnovers resulting in 26 points for the visitors. The Pioneers recorded 11 steals in the game including three by Bryce Jackson off the bench.
Emory & Henry edged Tusculum in rebounding (36-35) but TU held a 14-7 advantage on the offensive boards including six by Odusipe who ended the game with a team-best eight rebounds.
Wednesday was the 88th victory at Tusculum for head coach J.T. Burton, which ties him for third in program history with former TU skipper Jim Boone (2005-2011).
Tusculum will wrap up a season-long four game road-trip on Saturday when they will be at Wingate for a 4 p.m. contest.
