HICKORY, N.C. - The Anderson University women's basketball team opened a three-game South Atlantic Conference road swing with a 65-59 setback at the hands of Lenoir-Rhyne Wednesday night at Shuford Gymnasium.

Playing for the first time in 17 days, Anderson (5-6, 2-1 SAC) suffered from early foul trouble en route to dropping its third consecutive game overall and lost its first league contest, while Lenoir-Rhyne (10-2, 2-1 SAC) stayed undefeated at home, improving to 5-0 on the season and claimed its seventh win in its last eight games.

The fast-paced contest saw seven lead changes and three ties in the first 10 minutes of action, with the Trojans taking a 16-15 lead midway through the opening half on a layup from junior Alissa Diaz and following a jumper a 3-pointer from sophomore Emily Willoughby, Anderson claimed its largest lead to that point, 21-15, with 8:56 on the clock.

Lenoir-Rhyne's Whitley Culler countered with a layup, but AU freshman Sierra Simpson answered with a layup on the other end to get the Trojans back to a six-point cushion with eight minutes left in the half.

The Bears trimmed Anderson's lead to 25-23 with 4:41 on the clock, but a Tilde Ahlin 3-pointer just less than a minute later boosted the Anderson advantage to 28-23 and Diaz gave AU its largest lead of the opening half with another layup. But the Trojans committed four turnovers and misfired on a shot attempt, allowing Lenoir-Rhyne to close the half with eight unanswered points to take a 31-30 lead at the break.

The game remained close throughout, with the scoreboard showing three more ties in the opening five minutes of the second half, with the Trojans taking its last lead of the game, 42-40, on a 3-pointer from Diaz at the 14:08 mark. Lenoir-Rhyne's Jazmine Charles knocked down a trey on the other end, giving the Bears a lead they would not relinquish, with L-R edging out to a 53-44 advantage, their largest of the game, with 7:20 left.

The Trojans trimmed the deficit to three points on three occasions inside the final four minutes, but were unable to get any closer, as the Bears' Cameron Sealey, a preseason all-conference selection, was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line inside the final minute.
Anderson shot 34.8 percent from the field on the night, while L-R shot 36.1 percent and out-rebounded AU, 46-40. The Trojans, ranked 18th nationally in free throw percentage, connected on 8-of-9 from the line.

Sealey led all scorers with 22 points, while Culler recorded 10.

Diaz paced the Trojans with 18 points, while handing out a career-high six assists and blocking a career-best four shots. Ahlin added 12 points and junior Breonda Shannon shared game-high rebounding honors with 10 caroms.

Anderson will get back on the hardwood Saturday, when the Trojans visit Catawba College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C.