ANDERSON, S.C. - The visiting Catawba Lady Indians shot 57.8 percent from the field en route to defeating Anderson, 78-66, in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson slipped to 9-13 overall and 6-8 in conference action, while seeing its two-game win streak halted. Catawba improved to 16-6 overall and 11-3 in the league by claiming its seventh win in its last eight outings.

Catawba opened the game by connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers, as the Indians jumped out to an early 8-0 advantage and knocked down nine of their first 11 shots from the field.

Trailing, 30-15, midway through the first half, the Trojans went on a 14-4 run over a seven-minute span to trim the deficit to just 34-29 with more than three minutes left n the half. Sophomore Emily Willoughby ignited the outburst by sandwiching a pair of 3-pointers around a free throw from junior guard Alisa Diaz, while forward Breonda Shannon added a pair of baskets before Willoughby capped the surge by draining her third trey of the afternoon from deep in the left corner.

The Indians closed the opening frame with two straight baskets to take a 38-29 halftime edge.

AU freshman guard Lesley Woods and Diaz opened the second half with back-to-back 3s to trim the Catawba lead to just 38-35, but it was as close as the Trojans would get, as the Indians countered with a 9-2 surge to push back out to a double-digit lead with 14:24 on the clock.

Diaz led three Trojans in double figures with 21 points, while recording a team-high six rebounds and grabbing three steals. Shannon netted 17 points and Willoughby chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Catawba senior guard Nisha Long tossed in a game-high 24 points and freshman Chloe Bully notched 22.

Anderson hits the road for its final two-game conference road swing of the season, beginning with Tusculum on Wednesday. Tip-off versus the Lady Pioneers is slated for 8 p.m.