SAVANNAH, Ga. - Using a balanced offensive attack, the Anderson women's basketball team won its second straight game by outpacing Flagler, 72-59, in the opening game of Armstrong Atlantic's Fairfield Inn and Suites Lady Pirate Classic, Friday afternoon at the Armstrong Sports Center.

Anderson improved to 2-1 with its second consecutive victory, giving the Trojans their best start since the 2007-08 squad opened the season with three consecutive wins. Flagler, which returned four starters from last year's squad, slipped to 0-1.

Four Trojans reached double figures, led by senior Alissa Diaz's 15 points, and the Trojans held off a second-half rally by Flagler to defeat the Saints for the second consecutive year in the Classic.

The Trojans jumped on top early, scoring the first seven points of the contest and never trailed throughout the game. Diaz opened the scoring with a jumper in the paint and teammate Amanda Parris swiped the ball and drove in for a layup 22 seconds later. Senior Tilde Ahlin capped the opening outburst with four of her season-high nine-point effort.

The Saints trimmed the Anderson lead to three on four occasions, but would get no closer, as the Trojans scored nine unanswered points from the 6:50 mark of the first half to the 4:32 mark, to turn a six-point edge into a 29-14 cushion. Ahlin sparked the run with a traditional three-point play and freshman sharpshooter Madison Floyd capped the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers, as AU held a 34-23 lead at intermission.

AU took a 41-23 advantage on a free throw from Diaz with 16:36 left in the game, but Flagler refused to go away quietly, as the Saints steadily whittled away at AU's lead over the next 10 minutes and climbed within 53-48 with just more than six minutes left on the clock.

Parris answered for the Trojans, connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers in a 37-second span to boost Anderson back to an 11-point lead with 5:09 left. Anderson, which ranked 18th in the nation from the line last season, connected on 8-of-10 free throws inside the final 68 seconds to earn the win.

Diaz equaled her season-high with the 15 points, while Parris finished with 13. Floyd and sophomore point guard Sierra Simpson added 10 points apiece, with Simpson and Diaz sharing team-high honors with four assists each. Senior forward Breonda Shannon tossed in six points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Junior guard Williesha Spencer led Flagler with 12 points.

Anderson wraps up action in the Classic with a matchup against the host Pirates on Saturday at 3:30 p.m