ANDERSON, S.C. - The visiting Carson-Newman Eagles shot a blistering 56.6 percent from the field to slip past Anderson, 75-71, in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball Saturday evening at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson (11-7, 5-3 SAC) suffered just its second home loss of the season, while Carson-Newman evened its overall record at 8-8 and moved to 4-4 in league action by claiming its fourth straight victory.

The Trojans steadily built a 52-41 lead in the opening five minutes of the second half on the strength of a 14-5 run, as senior guard Brandon Young fueled the outburst with seven of his 13 point during the span.

Carson-Newman crept back within five points midway through the half, before AU guard Oskars Ernsteins answered by connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers from deep on the left side to boost the Trojans' lead back to double digits with 9:22 left in the game. However, the 6-foot-4 senior's basket was the last score for AU over a nine-minute span, as the Trojans misfired on 10 consecutive shots and committed five turnovers.

The AU drought enabled Carson-Newman to score 15 unanswered points and take a 72-68 lead with just 1:30 left in the contest. Junior Taylor Shugart pulled the Trojans within a basket at the 1:17 mark and converted one-of-two from the line 44 seconds later to get AU within 72-71. Anderson's Kevis Cornwell collected the missed free throw, but the Trojans were unable to connect on a go-ahead shot with 33 ticks on the clock and were forced to foul in the waning seconds.

The Eagles' Ishmael Sanders, who was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc on the night, hit the first of two free throws to give C-N a 73-71 lead with 14 seconds remaining but missed the second to give Anderson another opportunity. But the Trojans' shooting woes continued as AU was unable to garner the game-tying score and Carson-Newman's Bradley Tumer recorded a slam at the buzzer to set the final margin.

Carson-Newman held a narrow 33-30 rebounding advantage and outshot the Trojans, 56.6 percent to 42.4 percent on the night.

Anderson had four players reach double figures, led by Nick Trull's 14 points. The Trojan trio of Young, Shugart and Trey Britton added 13 points apiece, with Britton pulling down a team-best six rebounds. Young and freshman Denzail Jones each handed out five assists to share game-high honors.

Carson-Newman's Sanders and Antonio Sullivan each scored a game-high 16 points, while Bradley Tumer netted 10 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Anderson will look to get back in the win column when the Trojans play host to Wingate on Wednesday in the first game of a women's-men's doubleheader. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. at the Abney Center.