ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson junior guard Nakia Young scored six of her career-high 26 points and senior forward Jennifer Monroe chipped in four points in the final 3:09, as 17th-ranked Anderson outlasted Catawba, 89-84, in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

"I am really proud of our effort and execution we showed the entire game," said Anderson head coach Jimmy Garrity. "This was a great win against a very good and hot Catawba basketball team."

Anderson improved to 17-4 overall and 15-3 in the conference with its fifth win in six outings and swept the season series with Catawba, which fell to 13-11 overall and 10-8 in the SAC. With the victory, the Trojans maintained their three-game lead in the league standings.

In addition to her career night in the scoring column, Young tallied four assists and shared game-high rebounding honors with six boards. Junior guard Heather Jankowy added 15 points and a game-high seven assists, while Monroe finished with 13 points. Junior forward Alexis Dillard netted 12 points and pulled down five rebounds.

The Lady Indians out-rebounded Anderson, 36-31, but the Trojans turned 21 Catawba turnovers into 34 points to offset an 11-point deficit in second-chance points.

With the contest knotted 14 times and featuring 14 lead changes, including eight in the second half, the Trojans overcame an early 11-6 deficit with a 9-4 surge to even the score at 15 apiece on a layup by freshman guard Tamia Eatmon with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. With the two teams still stalemated at 28-28 at the 4:13 mark of the second quarter, Catawba reeled off five unanswered points to equal its largest lead of the first half.

But the Trojans countered with an 11-2 outburst to regain a 39-35 advantage before the Lady Indians closed the second quarter with two free throws to set the halftime score at 39-37. Jankowy fueled the outburst with five points, with Young and Katie Davis each chipping in three points apiece.

Catawba again pushed out to a five-point lead early in the third quarter, only to see Jankowy drop in eight points as part of a 16-4 outburst, as AU built its largest lead at 60-53, with 3:15 left in the third quarter.

With the Black and Gold clinging to a 67-61 lead early in the fourth quarter, Catawba rallied to take a brief 76-73 edge with less than five minutes remaining and the lead changed hands twice before Young dropped in a layup at the 3:09 mark to give the Trojans the lead for good, at 79-78, and the Trojans sealed the victory by going 6-of-8 from the line in the final 1:22.

"This Play4Kay game was a very emotional and meaningful game for our program and our players. I was proud of the strength and togetherness we played with. This game was more than just a basketball game. We were playing for all those that have been affected by cancer. We showed incredible composure down the stretch in such a close hard fought game." added Garrity.

Anderson visits Brevard on Wednesday before opening a two-game homestand a week from today. Tip-off versus the Tornados is slated for 6 p.m