ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson women's basketball team wrapped up its regular-season schedule by dropping a 57-48 decision to Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson (10-16, 7-11 SAC) suffered its third consecutive setback, while Carson-Newman improved to 16-10 overall and 10-8 in the league with its second straight win.

Carson-Newman scored the first five points of the contest and never trailed, opening an 18-7 lead eight minutes into the game.

The Trojans trimmed the deficit to 10 on two occasions through the remainder of the opening half, but the Eagles held a 34-18 halftime advantage.

Anderson scored 11 unanswered points to start the second half, with junior forward Tilde Ahlin sparking the comeback with back-to-back buckets to open the frame and sophomore sharpshooter Emily Willoughby adding a long-range 3-pointer during the outburst.

But the Eagles responded with a 7-2 run of their own, pushing back to a 41-31 edge with 12:13 left.

AU again climbed within five, at 46-41, at the 6:20 mark, but Carson-Newman maintained the advantage and connected on six straight free throws in the final 65 seconds to set the final margin.

Anderson junior Alissa Diaz led all scorers with 20 points and recorded six rebounds, while freshman Lauren Woods netted 11 points. Junior forward Breonda Shannon also pulled down six boards and grabbed two steals.

Senior Zoriah Williams posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Eagles. Sophomore Rechelle Dye and Courdne Miles each added nine points for Carson-Newman.

Anderson opens conference tournament quarterfinal action Wednesday night as the No. 8 seed and will visit top-seeded Wingate on Wednesday, with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.