Box Score
Box score
NEWBERRY, S.C. - Paced by senior guard Chandler Hash's game-high
33 points, the Anderson men's basketball team opened a three-game
South Atlantic Conference road swing by outdueling Newberry, 89-80,
Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena.
Anderson (15-5, 10-4 SAC) claimed sole possession of second
place in the league standings with its season-high sixth straight
win and improved to 9-1 away from the Abney Center with its sixth
straight road win. The Trojans swept the season series with
Newberry (13-5, 9-5 SAC), which has dropped seven straight to
Anderson.
The Trojan defense surrendered 18 treys to Newberry, marking the
most by an AU opponent this season, but offset the long-range
output by out-rebounding the Wolves, 50-33. Anderson shot 45.8
percent (27-of-59) from the field, while Newberry connected on 38
percent (27-of-71).
Hash drained a season-high seven 3-pointers as part of an overall
10-of-18 effort on the night, including 7-of-14 from beyond the
arc. He was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line and recorded
six rebounds. Senior guard CJ Gleaton notched his sixth
double-double of the campaign with 15 points and a game-high 14
rebounds, while equaling a career-best five assists. Junior guard
Myson Jones tallied nine points and a pair of assists, while
redshirt junior Nick Jackson nearly posted his first double-double
with nine points and a career-high nine boards off the bench.
Junior forward Dondray Walker led the Newberry attack with 20
points, while Demarkus Smith added 19 points and seven assists.
Freshman guard Cole Birchfield netted 13 points for the Wolves.
"The kids definitely got it done tonight," said Anderson head
coach Jason Taylor. "I'm not sure why we came out slowly to start
the second half, but they bucked up and got focused. To out-rebound
a team like [Newberry] is a testament to our effort."
The two teams opened the contest on a blistering pace, with Hash
and Jones connecting on 4-of-5 treys inside the opening five
minutes to offset Walker and Birchfield's three 3-pointers in the
opening minutes, as Anderson took a brief 13-12 edge on Hash's
third trey with 15:07 left in the first half.
Gleaton dropped in a pair of free throws and Hash followed with
a 3-pointer to give the Trojans their largest lead of the opening
20 minutes, at 35-29, at the 6:11 mark, but Newberry countered with
back-to-back treys from Smith followed by yet another 3-pointer
from Walker, giving the Wolves a 38-35 edge less than two minutes
later.
Hash and sophomore center Steven Faust combined for six straight
Trojan points before Walker connected on his fourth 3-pointer of
the opening half and the teams went to the locker rooms with the
score deadlocked at 41-41.
The Wolves opened the second stanza with a 13-5 run to take
their largest lead of the contest, 54-46, with less than 15 minutes
remaining, but Anderson erupted on a 23-5 run over the next
seven-plus minutes to turn the eight-point deficit into a
double-digit lead. Gleaton ignited the outburst by hitting 5-of-6
from the line, while Hash added seven points and Jones netted five
during the deciding run.
The Trojans pushed out to an 82-67 cushion with 2:16 left in the
contest, with Newberry closing within nine on four occasions in the
final moments. But AU connected on 7-of-10 from the line in the
final 1:49 to keep the Wolves at bay.
Anderson continues the road swing by traveling to Greeneville,
Tenn., on Wednesday as the Trojans square off against Tusculum for
the first time this season. Tip-off versus the Pioneers is slated
for 8 p.m.