ROCK HILL, S.C. — No. 3 Anderson University women's basketball (23-9) rolled past No. 2 Carson-Newman (22-8), 89-65, on Thursday evening at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center to advance to the South Atlantic Conference Championship finals on Friday.

"Man, words cannot describe how proud I am of our ladies tonight," expressed head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "From start to finish they played with a chip on their shoulder and were locked in on defense, turning that defense to offense."

"Diamond and Zee once again paced us on both ends of the floor," said Barbaree. "Hitting tough baskets and distributing the ball to their teammates. It was also great to get some big shots from Kyla, Zaynah, and Peytyn to help us push the lead or answer a score."

"We're excited about the opportunity to play again tomorrow," added Barbaree.

Senior Diamond McDowell posted her 18^th double-double of the season with 25 points and 18 rebounds. McDowell shot 10-of-21 from the field while the Trojans built an early lead and never trailed. Anderson led 45-23 at halftime and shot 51.5% from the floor.

Senior Zamiya Passmore fueled Anderson's offense with 21 points and a game-high seven assists, while Sophomore Kyla Cain added 14 points and five rebounds. Anderson dominated the paint with 48 points inside and outscored Carson-Newman 25-13 in fast break opportunities.

Makayla Alvey led Carson-Newman with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Tori Rutherford chipped in 15 points and four steals.

The Trojans advance to the SAC Tournament finals to face-off with No. 1 Coker. Tip-off is slated for 7pm in Rock Hill. Carson-Newman awaits its postseason fate.