MORROW, Ga. – Daylan Askew scored a team-high 21 points in leading Chowan to an 86-82 win over Tusculum Saturday afternoon at the Mason Barfield Court to conclude day two of the Peach Belt Conference / South Atlantic Conference Challenge.
Askew went 4-of-6 from three-point territory as the undefeated Hawks (2-0) shot 54.1 percent from the floor as a team (33-of-61).
Tusculum’s Malachi Hale led all scorers with 27 points going 9-of-18 from the floor and buried five 3-pointers. He also went 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Bryce Jackson added 17 points and five rebounds, while Josiah Morris accounted for 11 points off the bench including three 3-pointers. J3 Swindell tallied eight points and a team-best nine rebounds for the Pioneers (0-2).
TU finished the game with 11 triples and went 17-of-22 from the free throw line. Chowan dominated play in the paint outscoring the Pioneers by a 48-26 margin. Each team committed 13 turnovers but Tusculum did score 20 points off those Chowan miscues.
The Pioneers led at halftime, 38-36 and took a 42-39 lead in the second half on a Zak Perdew three-pointer with 18:45 to go.
Midway through the second half with the score knotted at 50-50, the Hawks went on an 11-2 run capped off by a by a pair of Askew free throws as Chowan led 61-52 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Hawks extended their lead out to 18 (83-65) following a pair of Damerius Summers’ free throws with 3:32 to go.
The Pioneers made a valiant effort down the stretch closing out the game on a 17-4 run but it was too late as Chowan was victorious.
Tusculum returns to action on Tuesday (Nov. 12) to face ninth-ranked North Georgia (4-0) in Dahlonega. The Nighthawks have opened with four consecutive wins including a 57-49 over defending NCAA Division II national champion and preseason top-ranked Minnesota State. Tuesday’s game will tip off at 7 p.m.
