LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — The Motlow Bucks stormed back from a second-half double-digit deficit and beat the Volunteer State Pioneers 92-81 Saturday in front of a large, loud crowd at Copperweld Arena on Motlow’s Moore County campus. The Bucks (3-3, 1-1) will host another TCCAA rival, Chattanooga State (6-0, 2-0), Wednesday night. The women’s tipoff is 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Motlow got its first conference win on the strength of 30 points from Mi’Quan Tucker, a 6’6 freshman southpaw from Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville. Tucker hit eight 3-pointers for the second time this season, including four straight in Motlow’s second-half comeback.
A Tucker 3-pointer gave the Bucks their first lead of the game 54-53 with 14:20 remaining after trailing at the half 46-34. Tucker then connected on two more 3-pointers to tie the score at 68-68. With 5:42 left to play he hit another one, giving Motlow a 71-68 lead. After Vol State scored to pull within one, Tucker hit another bomb and the Bucks never trailed again, making their free throws down the stretch.
Raymon Adams scored 17 and pulled down five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Lavonte Harris added 12 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Lamuno hit 10-10 free throws for 10 points and two assists. Dylan Wade hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds and added four assists and four points.
Sophomore point guard Kolbe Gray helped guide the comeback with a solid nine points, seven assists, and three steals.
Motlow hit 32-34 free throws, a blistering 94 percent pace, and shot 40 percent from 3-point range, making 12-30.
Tucker leads the Bucks in scoring this season, averaging 16.7 points per game. Wade averages 13.5 points and Adams 12.3. Wade leads the way in rebounding, averaging 7.7 per contest, with Adams at 6.5 and Matthew Jones 5.7. Gray is dishing out 4.7 assists per game, with Lamuno and Adams averaging two per contest.
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{The Lynchburg Times is an independently-owned, community newspaper located in Lynchburg, Tennessee the home of The Jack Daniel Distillery. We focus on public service, non-partisan, rural journalismy. We cover the Metro Moore County government, local tourism, Moore County schools, high school sports, Motlow State Community College, as well as whiskey industry news and regional and state stories that affect our readers.}