ANDERSON, S.C. – Junior Osmar Garcia-Araujo (Sugar Hill, Ga.) put on a show for the home crowd at the Abney Athletic Center on Saturday, November 15 as his 27 points were able to lead the Anderson University (2-0) men's basketball team to an 89-71 win over the Emmanuel University (0-2) Lions.
"Thankful to get two wins this weekend in front of our home crowd, they were electric," said head coach Jimmie Williams. "Shout out to the Trojan Army and our Trojan Pep Band! There is no better place than Abney on a game day."
Garcia-Araujo was 12-for-15 from the floor and added eight rebounds to his day to help the Trojans dominate the glass, out rebounding the Lions by a 37-23 margin. Senior Sam Perez (Wilmington, N.C.) led the way in cleaning up missed shots for the Trojans, recording 11 boards. For the second straight contest the Trojans were able to find the open shots with their crisp passing, with 20 of their 33 made baskets coming off an assist, with junior AJ Wright Jr. (Clearwater, Fla.) leading the way in that category with nine in the match.
"I have so much respect for TJ and the program he has built at Emmanuel. I knew they would come in with a good plan. Yesterday we got so many great looks from three, tying a school record with 19. They were not helping off our shooters, so we knew we need to get the ball inside today."
Again, the Trojans were able to dominate the lead in the match, keeping the advantage on their side of the scoreboard for 91% of the game. Shooting over 50% from the floor, Anderson was able to balance their attack between the two halves, scoring 49 in the first before following that up with 40 in the closing stanza.
"That's what I love about our group, they are all highly competitive and just want to win. Whoever gets the credit is irrelevant to them. Today it was Osmar and Sam both doing great things in the paint. It's also nice to have a point guard that echoes the mission so well. He also lived in the paint today."
The two teams were able to post a battle on the scoreboard in the opening four minutes of action, reaching the first media timeout with the Lions holding a small two-point advantage over the Trojans, 10-8. The lead traded hands multiple times before the next stoppage, with the Trojans closing their deficit to just one with 11:57 to play in the opening half.
By the next media timeout, the Trojans had taken control of the game and would lead by three points with 7:55 to play. That lead would climb to seven by the last break of the opening half, as the Trojans led 37-30. Anderson was able to outscore the Lions by a four-point margin over the waning minutes of the first half, taking the 49-38 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans advantage would hover right around the double-digit barrier for the majority of the second half, as the Lions were not going away quietly and continued to fight throughout the contest. Emmanuel was able to get the Trojans advantage down to 11 with just over two minutes to play, but the Trojans would outscore the Lions by a 9-2 margin down the stretch to secure their 89-71 victory.
"Lots of great things to praise with this group, but my favorite this is the way they love playing together. Thankful to start 2-0."
Anderson hits the road for the first time this season this week as they play two games on the road in Florida. First up for the Black and Gold is a matchup with Eckerd on Tuesday, November 18 at 8:00 p.m. before the Trojans travel to take on the Tampa Spartans on Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
