Box Score
Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. - With five players reaching double figures in
the scoring column, the Anderson men's basketball team opened its
longest South Atlantic Conference homestand of the season by
outpacing Newberry, 81-78, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic
Center.
Anderson improved to 9-11 overall on the season and 5-9 in the
conference, while snapping a four-game skid and earned a split of
the season series with the Wolves. Newberry slipped to 14-6 overall
and 8-6 in the league by dropping is fifth decision in the last six
games.
The Trojans out-rebounded Newberry, 46-31, marking Anderson's
second-highest advantage of the season on the boards, while the 81
points was the highest scoring output for the Trojans since
knocking off Catawba, 92-63, in early January.
Senior Nick Jackson paced the Trojan attack with 16 points,
while senior guard Myson Jones added 12 points and shared game-high
honors by handing out four assists. Senior guard DJ McGowan came
off the bench to tally 12 points and pull down seven rebounds, with
senior center Chris Ross recording his second double-double of the
season with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Freshman
Matthew McClain posted his first career double-double behind 10
points and a career-best 10 boards.
Newberry sophomore Gerald Evans led all scorers with 22 points
on the strength of six 3-pointers. Freshman guard James Stepp
tossed in 15 points and senior guard Demarkus Smith chipped in 11
points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds for the
Wolves.
The game was tied just five times but featured 15 lead changes,
including 12 occasions in the first half.
The Trojans' offensive explosion took some time to get on track,
as Newberry scored the first six points of the contest and held
Anderson without a basket until McClain buried his lone 3-pointer
of the afternoon from deep in the left corner with more than three
minutes gone. Evans countered with the first of his six 3-pointers
to give the Wolves what turned out to be their largest lead of the
contest, at 9-3, with 16:11 left in the opening half.
Three of the Trojans next four baskets came from beyond the arc,
with Jackson connecting on a pair of the treys to offset 3-pointers
from Newberry's Stepp and Evans, as the Wolves claimed a 15-14 edge
with less than 11 minutes left in the half. Alani Adekambi's drive
into the lane and layup from the right side gave the Trojans their
first lead on the game, at 16-15, but the narrow advantage was
brief, as Newberry answered with four straight points to reclaim a
three-point lead midway through the frame.
Eight of the lead changes occurred over the final 9:11 of the
first half, with neither team able to claim more than a four-point
advantage during the time span. A 3-pointer from Myles Daniel gave
the Trojans their final lead of the frame, at 39-38, inside the
final minute of the half, but Newberry closed the half with a 5-1
surge to take a 40-44 lead to the break.
Anderson scored the first five points of the second half on a
trey from Jackson and a short jumper from Ross to reclaim the lead
yet again, before Newberry's Brandon Taylor and Evans sandwiched
3-pointers around anther basket from Ross to provide the Wolves
with a 50-47 lead inside the 17-minute mark.
Ross dropped in another close jumper to trim the deficit to one
and Tre' Fields connected on a trey to give the Trojans a lead they
would not relinquish, at 52-50, as Anderson posted nine unanswered
points as part of a 16-4 outburst to stake its largest lead of the
game, at 65-54.
With AU still holding a double-digit 73-63 advantage at the 2:49
mark, Newberry began to whittle away at the lead, getting within
five points three times and pulling within 79-75 with 6.4 seconds
remaining. But the Trojans, who were 8-of-10 from the line inside
the final two minutes, saw Jones drain a pair of free throws to
push the lead to 81-75, with Evans nailing a long-range 3-pointer
at the buzzer to set the final score.
After claiming their eighth win in nine meetings with the
Wolves, the Trojans continue their three-game homestand by playing
host to Tusculum on Wednesday in the first meeting of the season
between the two teams. Tip-off versus the Pioneers is slated for 8
p.m. at the Abney Center.