ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson University men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit inside the final 86 seconds to upset top-ranked and previously unbeaten Lincoln Memorial, 78-72, in overtime during South Atlantic Conference action Saturday evening at the Abney Athletic Center.

With a standing-room-only crowd roaring, sophomore guard Chandler Hash drained his game-high fourth 3-pointer with just 3.9 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime and senior guard Nick Trull scored seven of his 13 points on the afternoon in the final 1:26, as Anderson (11-3, 6-0 SAC) moved atop the league standings, winning its 10th game in the last 12 contests.

Lincoln Memorial slipped to 15-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference, suffering its third consecutive setback to the Trojans.

Anderson senior center Taylor Shugart opened the overtime frame by scoring four of his game-high 23 points, while the Trojan defense held LMU scoreless for nearly two minutes. Second-team Preseason All-SAC selection Brandon Armstrong pulled the Railsplitters within 70-69 with his sixth trey of the contest, but Trull answered on the other end with his lone 3-pointer on the afternoon from the left wing to boost AU's lead back to four.

LMU junior guard Cam Carden pulled the visitors back within a single point by connecting on three consecutive free throws with just more than a minute left, but Trull again countered - this time with a jumper in the paint and following a missed 3 by LMU. AU junior guard Denzail Jones hit one-of-two from the line to build the Trojan advantage to 76-72 with 18 seconds left.

The Railsplitters misfired on another 3-point attempt and Trull set the final margin with two free throws.

Anderson rallied from a 27-26 halftime deficit to take its largest lead on the contest, 47-40, with just less than nine minutes left as Shugart scored 11 points and senior forward Tyrell McDowell added six straight points midway through the second half.

But Lincoln Memorial countered by scoring 10 unanswered points on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers from Armstrong, as part of a 21-5 run over the next six-plus minutes and led 61-52 with 2:26 on the clock.

Hash snapped the run by driving the right baseline and recording a traditional three-point play, but the Railsplitters still led by eight a minute later when Jones posted AU's second straight three-point play to trim the deficit to two possessions.

The Trojans capitalized on their opportunities when LMU misfired on three of their next four free throws, with AU's Hash connecting on a trey with 13.6 seconds left to pull the Trojans within 64-63 with 13 seconds left.

Following two from the line by LMU's Jake Troyli, the Trojans called timeout and Hash connected on the game-tying 3-pointer less than 10 seconds later.

Shugart poured in a game-high 23 points and recorded his third consecutive double-double by recording a game-high 14 rebounds. Hash finished with a career-high 17 points, while junior guard Denzail Jones added 15 points, three assists and three steals. Trull chipped in 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Armstrong paced the Railsplitters with 20 points, while junior forward Jake Troyli notched 11 points.

The Trojans close out their two-game South Atlantic Conference homestand by playing host to Tusculum on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center.