ANDERSON, S.C. - Despite senior Sierra Simpson's team-high 15 points in 38 minutes, Anderson University women's basketball could not find an answer for the Catawba offense, as the Trojans stumble in their opening game of 2015 to the Indians, 74-60, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

The setback hands the Black and Gold their first losing streak of the season, as they fall to 7-3 for the year with a 4-2 South Atlantic Conference mark. The loss also hands AU its first setback at the Abney Center on the campaign, as it came into Saturday with a six-game home winning streak. Catawba, which entered the game dropping two of its last three, move above .500 on the year with a 6-5 record and an even 3-3 mark in the league.

Simpson was the lone Trojan in double figures on the day, as substitute Madison Floyd made two 3-pointers for the second consecutive contest and followed the guard in scoring with eight points. As a team, AU shot just above 30 percent with a 19-for-62 performance, marking the second straight game the Trojans have made fewer than 20 field goals.

On the opposite end, Catawba shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, headlined by seven made 3-pointers. Three Indians recorded double digits as Jada Huntley scored 13 points and controlled the boards with a game-high 17 rebounds. Teammate Bri Johnson paced Catawba with a game-high 16 points, while SAC First Team honoree Chloe Bully dropped in 12 points.

Anderson got off to a slow start in the first half, shooting just 2-for-9 from the field in the opening five minutes of play. The Indians capitalized on the poor shooting and took a 7-2 lead, highlighted by a Janna Dixon trey to open Catawba's scoring on the afternoon.

Down five points, AU scored the next six points, capped off by a lay-in by junior Katie Davis for her only points of the game, handing the home side their first advantage of the game at 8-7. The Lady Indians responded by getting back-to-back buckets from Huntley and Serena Brown, giving the visitors a brief three-point lead at 11-8.

Following the mini-run, Anderson sophomores Bailey Sims and Heather Jankowy gave the Trojans back the lead, as Sims dropped in a lay-up and Jankowy knocked in her lone 3-pointer of the game, pushing the score to 13-11. Sims' basket would be her only points on the day.

Junior Jennifer Monroe answered a Jordyn Richardson lay-up on the ensuing possession with a pair of free throws, but the 15-13 lead would be Anderson's last of the game. After Huntley missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, Dixon took advantage of an offensive rebound and drained a 3-pointer to give Catawba a lead it would not relinquish. Following the trey, the Indians scored the next four points and pushed out a 7-0 run.

Anderson would come within two, 26-24, when Simpson buried a jumper in the lane at the 5:12 mark in the first period, but the Indians answered with 9-0 spurt that included a 3-pointer from Brown for three of her five points in the run. The visitors went on to take a 40-28 lead into halftime, marking the most points given up by Anderson in a first half this season.

In the second half, the Lady Indians jumped out to their largest lead of the game at 17 when Johnson connected on one of her three 3-pointers of the game, making the score 54-37 at the 13:31 mark. Facing their largest deficit of the season, the Trojans brought the Catawba lead to eight at the 8:48 mark when sophomore Nakia Young put in a lay-up for two of her five points on the day.

Looking to cut into the Indian lead, both teams could not find a basket for the next four minutes, as the teams combined for a 0-for-10 performance from the field in the span. Looking for points, Richardson ended the scoring drought at the 5:01 mark with a free throw. After Bully added a lay-in following the free throw, Catawba maintained a double-figure advantage for the rest of the contest, sealing its second straight victory at the Abney Center.

The Indians have won four straight over the Black and Gold, as AU has not defeated its Tar Heel State rivals since a 70-66 victory on Dec. 1, 2012. Since the win, Catawba has won the last four meetings by an average deficit of 14.7 points.

Anderson returns to action on Wednesday when it hits the road to Lincoln Memorial to close out its home-and-home conference series with the Lady Railsplitters. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.