MARS HILL, N.C. --- Mars Hill University shot a blistering 58 percent from the field in the second half to help defeat Tusculum College 82-61 in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action on Monday night in Mars Hill, North Carolina. Junior forward Kristen McMillion registered a double-double for TC (6-17, 5-14 SAC) with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Blakeley Burleson finished with a team-high 17 points with the help of five three pointers. Senior forward Rainey Story tallied 11 points off the bench in 19 minutes of action, while sophomore guard Maelyn Cutshaw chipped-in seven points. The Pioneers' leading scorer on the season, Shynese Whitener, was held to just six points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Mars Hill's (10-15, 8-12) Paige Chavis led all scorers with 22 points off the bench, while SAC leading scorer Camille Glymph added 15 points. Kelsey Espinosa had 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to record a double-double.

After a competitive first half that saw the Lions take a 31-27 lead into the halftime locker room, the Pioneers opened the second period with back-to-back jumpers to knot the score at 31. However, Mars Hill reeled off a 22-6 run over the next seven minutes of action to take a 53-37 lead with 11:42 remaining.

TC responded with a 9-4 run capped off by a Burleson three-pointer to cut the lead back to 11 with just over eight minutes to play. However, MHU reeled off 10-unanswered points to take its largest lead of the contest at 67-46 with a little over five minutes showing on the clock. Facing a steep deficit, the Pioneers were only able to come within 15 points of the lead in the game's final minutes before surrendering the 21-point defeat.

Mars Hill was 18-of-31 from the field in the second half and out-rebounded Tusculum 24-11 in the final frame. It was a hard fought battle down low featuring McMillion and Espinosa, but the Lions held a 32-24 edge in points in the paint. TC held a 19-15 advantage in turnovers, but gave up 19 points on those miscues.

The first half featured eight lead changes and five ties, while neither team held a lead of more than seven. Tusculum's largest advantage was four on two occasions, including a 4-0 start to the contest. The Lions held a slim 19-17 lead with eight minutes remaining in the opening period before Burleson nailed a triple to give TC a 20-17 advantage. Espinosa answered with a jumper in the paint a few possessions later to re-gain the lead for MHU, a lead it would keep for the remainder of the contest.

Tusculum will be back in action for the final time this season at Pioneer Arena on Wednesday night when it plays host to Anderson University at 6 p.m. Prior to the game, TC will honor its three seniors Burleson, Story and Brianna Mitchell.