Box Score
Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne junior Danielle Bongiorno
connected on two free throws with just 6.7 seconds on the clock, as
the visiting Bears escaped with a narrow, 63-62, win past Anderson
in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Saturday
afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson slipped to 7-5 overall and 1-1 in league play with its
second consecutive setback, while Lenoir-Rhyne (7-3, 2-0 SAC)
earned its first road win in four attempts this season with its
second straight victory.
The Trojans showed little ill effect of a 16-day layoff early in
the contest, as the Anderson defense forced five early turnovers
that helped propel AU to its largest lead of the game, at 14-2,
less than five minutes into the game.
Trojan senior Amanda Parris opened the scoring with a 3-pointer
just 32 seconds into the contest, while fellow guard Sierra Simpson
added five points in the opening moments. Senior forward Tilde
Ahlin capped the breakout with a short jumper to give the Trojans a
14-2 lead with 15:30 left in the opening half.
But the Bears capitalized on AU's shooting woes over the next
nine minutes, responding with a 17-4 run to take their first lead
of the game, 19-18, as sophomore Jazmine Charles made one-of-two
from the line with 5:59 on the clock.
In a game that featured 15 ties and more than a dozen total lead
changes, the final six minutes of the first half saw three ties and
six lead changes, with neither team able to build more than a
two-point cushion and Lenoir-Rhyne holding a 29-28 advantage at the
break.
Ahlin and senior Alissa Diaz, who was hampered by early foul
trouble, combined to score the first four points of the second
half, as Anderson claimed a 32-29 edge, equaling its largest lead
of the second half with 16:23 remaining. Lenoir-Rhyne misfired on
its first seven shots of the second half, but evened the score at
32 apiece on freshman guard Jordan Hiatt's trey at the 14:52
mark.
The Bears snapped a 39-39 tie with seven unanswered points to
take their largest lead of the contest midway through the half, but
the Trojans inched back and took a 52-49 advantage on a 3-pointer
from sophomore Lesley Woods and took a 54-52 lead on a jumper by
Diaz with five minutes remaining after Lenoir-Rhyne tied the score
on three consecutive free throws.
L-R's Ashia Mitchell knotted the score with a pair of free
throws and junior Whitney Brinkley gave the Bears a brief 56-54
lead with 4:07 left.
Trailing, 60-58, with less than a minute remaining, Diaz banked
in a short jumper from the right side to even the score for the
14th time of the afternoon and after the two teams traded
turnovers, Lenoir-Rhyne's Caroline Laughter made one-of-two free
throws with 21.2 seconds on the clock to give the Bears a brief
one-point lead. Following a 30-second timeout, the Trojans turned
the ball over, but Diaz quickly swiped it back and drained another
jumper from the right side, regaining a 62-61 edge for AU with 15.8
ticks remaining. But seconds later the senior guard was whistled
for her fifth foul of the afternoon, sending Bongiorno to the
charity stripe.
Anderson raced upcourt, but freshman guard Madison Floyd was
unable to get a clear look at the basket before the final horn
sounded.
Diaz led all scorers with 17 points and recorded a team-high six
rebounds, while Shannon added 13 points and Woods chipped in
eight.
Hiatt finished with a team-high 13 points for Lenoir-Rhyne,
while Laughter narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and
a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Trojans close out their brief two-game South Atlantic
Conference homestand by playing host to Newberry on Wednesday, then
embark on a two-game road swing beginning next Saturday at Lincoln
Memorial