AIKEN, S.C. - Led by juniors Jennifer Monroe and Katie Davis double figure rebound total and a buzzer-beating jumper by senior Sierra Simpson at the end of regulation, Anderson University women's basketball earned a 69-65 overtime victory over Peach Belt Conference opponent USC Aiken Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.

Monroe grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, headlined by 11 on the offensive glass, while Davis grabbed 10 boards to record the team's highest rebound total under head coach Jimmy Garrity of 58. With the Trojans winning the rebounding battle, 58-47, Anderson used a game-high 18 points from Simpson and 14 points from classmate Lesley Woods to seal the victory.

Junior Jasmine Franklin and substitute Heather Jankowy followed the leading scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Monroe just missed AU's first double-double of the year with eight points. For the game, Woods and Jankowy combined for six made 3-pointers as the tandem hit three apiece.

"This was a great team effort tonight," Garrity said. "We came into a tough environment and competed at a high level."

After the teams traded baskets at the start of the contest, USC Aiken took the first convincing lead of the game, stretching the advantage out to seven points twice in the opening 14 minutes of action. As the home side held on to a 27-20 lead with 6:03 remaining in the first period, the Trojans went on a 10-1 run to close out the period, taking a 29-28 lead into the halftime break. In the run, sophomore forward Alexis Dillard made three free throws, while Woods made a key 3-pointer at the 3:26 mark to bring Anderson within three.

The Trojans continued to have the hot hand to open the final half as they took their largest advantage of the game of seven at the 17:28 mark when Monroe scored on a layup following a missed jumper by Emry Tsitouris. The layup began a quick 6-0 run to open the second stanza.

USC Aiken regrouped following the timeout and began to slowly chip away at the Trojan lead, eventually taking the lead back at the 13:19 mark when Mariah Durian cashed in on a traditional three-point play, moving the score to 37-35.

Anderson would bounce back, despite the momentum shift as it grabbed a six-point lead at the 4:09 mark when Jankowy and Woods hit back-to-back 3-pointers after the score was even at 47-47. Despite the strong shooting to give AU a cushion, the Woods trey would be the final 3-pointer made for the rest of regulation.

Following a layup by Franklin giving the Black and Gold a 55-49 lead, the Pacers, who entered the game with an even 1-1 record, cut into AU's lead once again as Kate Duff started a 10-0 with the first five points of the spurt, including a 3-pointer, as the home side took a 59-55 lead with 16 seconds remaining. At that point, AU was still seeking its first field goal since the 2:36 mark.

Facing the four-point deficit, Simpson buried a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, forcing Franklin to foul Durian with seven seconds remaining. Durian, who closed the game 2-for-7 from the line made just 1-of-2, leading to Simpson's heroics as she buried the game-tying shot with no time remaining in regulation.

Riding the momentum from the buzzer-beating shot, the Trojans took a five-point lead following a pair of baskets from Woods and Simpson and never looked back, clinching the nonconference victory. Anderson made 4-of-6 from the line in the final 1:30 of overtime.

"We never gave up and Sierra hit a big time shot to send it to overtime," Garrity said. "In overtime, we made shots when we needed to and got defensive stops and rebounded when we needed to. We hit some key free throws down the stretch to come away with the win."

The victory snaps a streak of six consecutive setbacks in season openers, as the Trojans entered Wednesday's contest not having won a regular season opener since the 2007-08 season. The win also gives AU a two-game winning streak over the Pacers, as the Trojans fended off their in-state rival with a 70-60 victory in the final leg of a season-long home-and-home series a year ago. Garrity, who is in his second season, holds a 3-1 record over PBC schools.

The Pacers were led by Durian with 17 points, while Tsitouris added a game-high 16 rebounds coming off the bench. The Trojan defense held USC Aiken's starters to just 26 of the team's 65 points, despite the home side's starters averaging 28.2 minutes per player. USCA falls to 1-2 on the young season, coming off a 77-70 win over Lincoln Memorial in its last contest.

"USC Aiken is strong and will do very well in the Peach Belt," Garrity added. "We will enjoy this win and get ready for a tough home opener against a very good Lenoir-Rhyne squad."

The Trojans welcome L-R to the Abney Athletic Center on Saturday after it finished a perfect 2-0 against the Bears a season ago, despite L-R earning the top seed in the SAC Tournament. Tip-off from Annie Tribble Court is set for 2 p.m.