ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson women's basketball team posted a 19-5 run to open the second half, but was unable to overtake Wingate as the Bulldogs defeated Anderson, 65-56, in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson (7-10, 3-6 SAC) wrapped up its two-game conference homestand with the setback, while Wingate improved to 11-6 overall and 6-3 in league play, maintaining a share of second place in the conference standings with its third win in a row.

Trailing 35-21 to start the second half, sophomore forward Breonda Shannon triggered the outburst with a pair of free throws at the 17:51 mark, while senior Alexa Neal sandwiched two 3-pointers around a trey by Wingate's Sarah Wollett to pull AU within single digits with 15:04 left in the game.

AU sophomore center Maci Siniard dropped in four of her season-high 12 points less than a minute later and Ashley Abed connected on her third 3-pointer of the night to briefly knot the score at 40-40 nearly midway through the half.

The score was tied twice more in the next two minutes, but the Trojans were unable to overtake Wingate, as Wollett hit from beyond the arc to give the visitors a 47-44 lead.

Anderson would get no closer than a deuce the rest of the way, as the Bulldogs were 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch.

Wingate held a narrow 37-36 rebounding edge and out-shot AU, 36.4 percent to 35.1 percent on the game.

Neal and fellow senior Ashley Abed shared team-high scoring honors with 13 points apiece, while Siniard netted 12. Shannon equaled her season-high by pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.

Wingate's Janitsha Williams led all scorers with 16 points, while Wollett finished with 14 points on the night.

Anderson begins the second half of the league schedule with a two-game conference road swing, beginning at Brevard on Saturday. AU will be looking for a season-sweep past the Lady Tornados after knocking off BC, 63-52, to open the conference slate in early December. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Boshamer Gymnasium.