GREENEVILLE, TENN. – Anderson University Men's Basketball (26-2, 20-2 SAC) topped Tusculum (10-18, 6-16 SAC) in a tight 80-71 victory on the road to conclude the 2025-26 regular season.
"Proud of our effort and toughness on the road today." said head coach
Jimmie Williams. "Tusculum has as much talent as any team in the league and they're always hard to beat at home."
The Trojans took an early lead in the opening half before the Pioneers responded with a five-point lead with 15 minutes on the clock. Anderson found a rhythm, boasting a nine-point lead heading into the break. AU were consistent throughout the final half, recording an 18-point lead over the Pioneers with 13 minutes remaining. Tusculum attempted to close the large gap but the Black and Gold's defense proved dominant in the final minutes.
"We went on a run at the end of the first half that was big for us to get out to a lead and take some momentum into the second half." added Williams. "Every game brings in its set of challenges, and I love how we meet them head on and how we continue to fight and stay on mission. We would not be where we are going into post season with it."
Two Trojans had an incredible performance, each posting 25+ points on the board. Freshman
Rashawn Inglemon (Sacramento, Calif.) led the Trojans offensively for the fourth consecutive contest, tallying an impressive 31 points and two assists while shooting 47.6% from the floor, 45.4% from the arc and a perfect 100% from the charity stripe. Defensively, Inglemon grabbed seven boards and added two steals to Anderson's 36 total rebounds. Junior
Osmar Garcia-Araujo (Sugar Hill, Ga.) also notched a commanding 17 points and six assists while going 9-for-10 from both the floor and the line. He also added seven boards to the Trojans final tally. Sophomore
Caleb McAbee (Saint Johns, Fla.) also had a solid performance, tallying six points, three rebounds and shooting 66.6% from both the floor and behind the arc.
The Black and Gold held a slight edge over the Pioneers is almost all major statistical categories. Anderson posted 46.6% from the floor, 37.5% from three and 81.0% from the line with 34 points in the paint while notching 16 assists and grabbing 37 boards.
"Rashawn and Osmar were fantastic offensively and AJ managed the game and got his teammates easy ones. What a special regular season. I've never been more excited going into post season than I am this year with this team."
The Trojans secured the No. 1 seed in the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament after defeating Lenoir-Rhyne at home on Wednesday. Anderson will travel to Rock Hill, N.C. to compete against No. 8 seeded Wingate in the SAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. The winner of game one will advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 6.
