By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — If you’re a Tusculum women’s basketball fan, Saturday’s 54-51 victory at Catawba’s Goodman Gym proceeded like a Hollywood script.
The leading lady was Tusculum guard Sydney Wilson, a freshman from Northern Guilford.
Wilson was involved in a bruising, football-like collision with Catawba’s Serena Brown with 6:09 remaining. Brown was whistled for a charging foul. Both grimacing players stayed on the floor for a while before limping and hobbling to their respective benches for aid from athletic trainers.
Both looked like they’d be out of action for a month. Both are competitors, and they were back on the floor a few minutes later.
“Yes, it hurt,” Wilson said. “But I knew my teammates were depending on me.”
When Wilson and Brown crashed like runaway trains, Tusculum led, 47-44.
The only time the scoreboard changed in the next four minutes was when Catawba’s Marshauna Butler knocked down a 3-pointer to lift the Indians within two points.
With exactly two minutes remaining, Catawba’s standout guard, Bri Johnson, who scored 23 points, nailed a pull-up jumper. That made it 49-all.
The teams traded several missed opportunities before Tusculum called timeout with 42 seconds left to set up a play.
With 35 seconds left and with Catawba mostly concerned with high-scoring Shynese Whitener (22 points), Whitener passed the ball to Wilson.
Then Wilson launched a 3-pointer from the right wing — and nailed it.
“That wasn’t really the play we drew up in the timeout, and I hadn’t hit an outside shot all night,” Wilson said with a smile. “But I finally made one.”
It was a huge shot.
Catawba called timeout with 30 seconds left to try to set up a tying 3-pointer. That play didn’t go as planned, either.
“A freshman makes a great shot for them, and then we can’t even get off a 3-point shot,” Catawba coach Angie Morton said. “They did a good job of extending their zone. They made it hard for us.”
Unable to get a clean look at a 3-pointer, Catawba ended up with guard Emma Ucinski driving and drawing a foul. She made her two free throws with 11 seconds left, but Catawba trailed 52-51.
There are several rules changes in women’s college basketball. Women are playing four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves, and foul rules have altered drastically. There are no more one-and-ones. After the fifth foul of a quarter, a team shoots two free throws on common fouls.
Catawba’s problem was it had only been whistled for one foul in the fourth quarter, so it had to hack four times in a hurry, just to put Tusculum on the foul line.
There were only 7.4 seconds left when Whitener finally stepped to the stripe. She made both free throws, and the Pioneers (4-1, 2-0 SAC) led, 54-51.
Catawba needed a 3-pointer but couldn’t get one off.
The fourth quarter was a struggle offensively for Catawba (3-5, 0-2 SAC), capping a frustrating day that began with two early fouls for high-scoring post player Terri Rogers.
Catawba often thrives on offensive rebounds, but the Indians were out-boarded, 34-30, and offensive boards were even at eight apiece.
“We won the rebounding battle, and I think that’s where we won the game,” Wilson said modestly.
Rebounding was part of what happened. Whitener, Wilson (14 points) and Kristen McMillion, who had 10 boards for the Pioneers, also were a big part of it.
“Whitener is a veteran and she did whatever she wanted to do and really hurt us,” Morton said. “We couldn’t get second-chance points, their freshman steps up with that 3-pointer, and it’s another tough home loss for us.”
Butler and Brown led Catawba with six rebounds each.
Catawba shot 36.5 percent. Tusculum shot 42 percent.
Wilson’s 3-pointer was the only one the Pioneers made all day in nine attempts. Catawba made eight long ones, including four by Johnson.

Tusculum 54, Catawba 51
TUSULUM (54) — Whitener 22, Wilson 14, K. Johnson 8, Patterson 4, McMillion 4, Queen 2, Atwell.
CATAWBA (51) — B. Johnson 23, Rogers 6, Butler 5, Ucinski 5, S. Brown 5, Dixon 3, Franklin 2, Hodges 2, Newbold, K. Brown, Webb, Tamasauskaite.

Tusculum 16 11 14 13 — 54
Catawba 11 14 17 9 — 51