GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Carson-Newman University shot 64.5 percent from the field and received 27 points from Jack Browder and 21 from Matt Bilbrey in a 100-73 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.
Rylan Houck added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Keliese Frye contributed 12 points for the Eagles (6-1, 2-0 SAC), who went 20-for-31 from the field in each half and took control with a 13-0 run early in the second half.
Bilbrey was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, including four three-pointers, while Browder was 12-for-20 from the floor and added nine rebounds. Braden Ilic added seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Eagles, who won in Greeneville for just the second time in their last eight regular-season visits.
Bryce Jackson led the Pioneers (4-5, 1-3 SAC) with 24 points for the second straight game and Damjan Vukcevic added a season-high 12 points along with five rebounds, but the Pioneers shot 40 percent (28-for-70) and were outscored 58-32 in the paint by the Eagles.
Taj Kimber had nine points in 16 minutes off the bench for the Pioneers, with eight points from Malachi Hale as Tusculum’s bench had a 34-16 scoring advantage over Carson-Newman. Vukcevic was 6-for-7 from the field for the Pioneers to surpass his previous season high of 10 points set against Trevecca Nazarene on Nov. 22.
Jackson got off to a fast start for the Pioneers, scoring seven points in five minutes to help Tusculum to a 12-10 lead. A three-pointer from Bilbrey gave the Eagles their first lead at 15-12 with 14:18 left in the first half, and the run would reach nine points before a hook shot from Vukcevic with 12:40 remaining.
Another bucket from Vukcevic brought Tusculum within 24-20 with 9:37 to go, but a 9-2 Carson-Newman run was capped by a putback from Houck with 6:39 left to give the Eagles a 33-22 advantage. Carson-Newman would go up 47-34 on a Frye layup with 1:02 left, but five points from Jackson and two free throws from TJ Printup left Tusculum trailing 47-41 at half.
Jackson shot 5-for-9 from the field and led all players with 14 points in the first half for the Pioneers, who shot 47.1 percent (16-for-34) overall and 4-for-11 from long range. Browder paced the Eagles with 12 points and Frye added 10 as Carson-Newman, which picked up nine points from Houck and eight from Bilbrey in the half.
The Pioneers crept within 47-43 on two foul shots from Jackson in the first minute of the second half, only to see Bilbrey score eight straight by himself as part of a 13-0 run that gave the Eagles a 60-43 lead with 16:28 remaining. Tusculum would get six back on consecutive baskets from Vukcevic, Printup and Jackson, but Carson-Newman would grow the lead to 87-66 on a Bilbrey jumper with 5:20 left.
Oli Smith had eight points in 18 minutes off the bench for the Eagles, with six points from Colin Brown. For Tusculum, Jordan Attia had a season-high five assists and scored six points, with five points apiece from Amari Allen and Wesley Johnson.
Both teams took care of the ball, with Carson-Newman committing eight turnovers and Tusculum seven. The Eagles had a 40-27 rebound edge over the Pioneers, but Carson-Newman was 12-for-18 at the foul line while Tusculum shot 10-for-12 at the stripe as a team.
The Pioneers host Catawba on Saturday, Dec. 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Arena. The special Saturday night game is Community Night, with free admission to all spectators. Catawba was idle on Wednesday and will bring a 4-2 overall record and a 1-1 conference mark into Saturday’s matchup.
