Trojans Rally to Top Wingate
February 21, 2013WINGATE, N.C. – Using a late second-half run, the Anderson women’s basketball team maintained its hold on the top spot in the South Atlantic Conference standings by rallying past Wingate, 77-71, Wednesday night at Cuddy Arena.
Anderson (18-7, 12-3 SAC) clinched at least the fourth seed in next month’s Food Lion SAC Championship and will host a first-round matchup on March 6. Wingate fell to 12-13 overall and 6-9 in the conference and had its three-game home win streak snapped.
Senior Tilde Ahlin equaled a season-high with 15 points to lead the Trojans, while guards Alissa Diaz and Amanda Parris each added 13 points. Parris also handed out a season-high five assists on the night. Forward Breonda Shannon recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while blocking two shots.
Wingate’s Janitsha Williams led all scorers with 23 points and narrowly missed a double-double, with nine rebounds. Morgan McGee tallied 17 points for the Bulldogs and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the line. Junior forward Chantal Dunbar added 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 13-6 lead four minutes into the contest, but the Trojans chipped away and evened the score at 17 apiece on the strength of an 11-4 surge over the next 5:27. Ahlin ignited the run with a 3-pointer and Shannon capped the outburst with a jumper, while Simpson scored four of her six points on the night.
Freshman Katie Davis added to the run with a short jumper and Parris’ 3-pointer gave AU its largest lead of the first half, at 22-17, with 7:34 remaining. Wingate knotted the score at 24-24 two minutes later, but the Trojans would not surrender the lead until the second half and held a 36-33 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs took advantage of AU’s cold shooting to open the second half and took a brief 40-39 lead with 15:42 on the clock, but Ahlin answered less than a minute later with a 3-pointer to regain the edge for the Trojans. Anderson pushed out to a 51-42 cushion with Davis adding four of her season-high seven points.
But the Bulldogs refused to go away, posting a 15-5 run to take their final lead of the night, 57-56, with more than six minutes remaining. The Trojans answered by closing the game with a 21-14 run of their own to claim their second straight win past the Bulldogs and their first-ever victory in Cuddy Arena. Sophomore Jaclyn Moore knotted the score for the fifth time of the night with a free throw and another Ahlin trey gave the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish, at 60-57.
The Trojans will be looking for their 12th win in 14 outings when AU travels to Jefferson City, Tenn., to square off against Carson-Newman on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse. The Trojans defeated the Lady Eagles, 60-46, earlier this season at the Abney Center.
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