Box Score
Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. - Recording its highest free throw percentage for
a game on the afternoon (86.2) and capitalizing on 13-of-14 in the
final five minutes of play, Anderson University women's basketball
completed the series sweep over South Atlantic Conference foe
Lenoir-Rhyne, 76-67, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic
Center.
The Trojans finished the contest 25-for-29 from the charity
stripe, highlighted by junior Jasmine Franklin's perfect 8-for-8
mark from the line en route to a team-high 15 points. Freshman
Heather Jankowy followed Franklin in points with 14, including a
3-for-5 afternoon from 3-point range. Sophomore Jennifer Monroe
recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and a
team-high 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double inside
the Abney Center. Junior Sierra Simpson polished off AU's double
figure scoring with 12 points, missing her third double-double of
the year by one rebound, finishing with nine.
Preseason SAC First Team honoree Jazmine Charles was 6-for-17
(35.3 percent) from the floor, but still managed a game-high 17
points with eight rebounds in 36 minutes of action for the Bears.
Teammate Brittany Christian, who earned just her fourth start of
the year, poured in 16 points while substitute Nneka Awuruonye
dropped in 12 points.
"This was a great team effort today," Anderson head coach Jimmy
Garrity said. "I was really proud of our players and the way we
competed. We played at a high level with great energy and we did a
great job sharing and taking care of the basketball. It was great
to see us make free throws down the stretch to secure the win."
Despite the matchup being tight throughout the afternoon,
Anderson scored the opening bucket of the game when Jankowy knocked
in a long jumper as the Trojans never relinquished the lead for the
entire game.
After Christian brought the score to 10-9 in favor of Trojans
with a traditional 3-point play, Anderson began a 12-0 outburst
beginning with senior Emily Willoughby's lone 3-pointer of the
contest, bringing the score to 22-9 with 11 minutes left in the
half.
Holding a 24-14 lead with 9:14 left, the Bears began the chip
away at the Anderson advantage, earning a 9-3 run that sent the
score to 27-23 with 4:40 left in the opening period. Awuruonye
scored five of L-R's nine points in the run.
Not to be out done, the Trojans brought the lead back to 11 when
Jankowy buried her second 3-pointer of the half and Franklin
followed with a tradition 3-point play, bringing the score to 37-26
with 1:49 left.
After the Lenoir-Rhyne's (11-4, 6-4 SAC) Jordan Hiatt made a
pair of free throws with eight second remaining in the half, the
Trojans had minimal time left for one final possession. Jankowy
grabbed a Simpson pass and connected a long 3-pointer while being
fouled by Christian, leading to a 4-point play to end the half. The
Trojans would match their largest lead of the opening period of 13
when the teams went into the locker room at 43-30.
With AU holding a 50-40 lead five minutes into the final half,
L-R began a quick 5-0 run in just a minute of action, headlined by
Morgan Cooper's three points and two rebounds in the span. The
Bears found themselves down just five with 13:30 left in the
period.
After junior Katie Davis fired a 15-footer to give AU a 54-48
with 9:17 left, the Trojans went on a drought from the field,
misfiring on five straight shots. Despite the cold shooting,
Anderson did its damage from the free throw line, making 10 free
throws until its next field goal at the 2:10 mark and holding at
least a three-point lead in the span.
The eventual final Trojan field goal came with time winding down
on the shot clock in a critical AU possession. Franklin, who found
herself at the top of the key, tossed up an awkward shot which
banked hard off the glass and fell through the net for her first
made 3-pointer since Anderson's overtime victory over Lander on
Nov. 9. The much-needed basket gave the Trojans a six-point lead
that L-R was unable to match. Following the bucket, the Trojans
made 7-of-8 free throws to seal their ninth win of the season.
AU improves 8-0 on the year when scoring over 70 points for a
game and earns its third straight win over the Bears before
dropping five straight since AU entered the SAC prior to the
2010-11 season. For Lenoir-Rhyne, the setback snaps a six-game
winning streak.
Anderson finished the contest shooting just 38.3 percent from
the floor and 36 percent from 3-point range, but bettered its
counterpart in both categories, as L-R posted a 37.5 shooting
percentage and made just 2-of-10 from behind the arc.
The Trojans carry their first winning streak since November as
they look to make it three straight victories on Wednesday when
they head to Brevard for their final road trip of the month.
Tip-off from the Tar Heel State is set for 6 p.m. as AU seeks its
second straight series sweep.