ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University Men's Basketball (20-1, 14-1 SAC) remain undefeated at home after topping conference opponent Newberry (10-11, 6-9 SAC) in a 73-58 victory.
"Abney was rocking tonight." said head coach
Jimmie Williams. "We've had four of our last five on the road, so it felt good to play in front of the Trojan army and man did they show out.".
The Trojans asserted dominance early in the contest establishing a 10-point lead with 11 minutes left in the opening half. The Wolves responded with a 9-0 run to close the gap before Anderson gained control with another 10-point lead heading into the break. The Black and Gold's defense put on an incredible performance early in the second before Newberry found a rhythm to close the gap with an 8-0 run. The Trojans' surged past the Lions with a 6-point run to make a final statement late in the contest.
"Proud of how hard we play, especially when the other team goes on a run." added Williams. "It has been one of the most consistent things this year with this team, taking momentum when other teams have it. Newberry has two of the best bigs in the league and they all play hard. To hold a team like that to 58 points is a credit to our connection on defense."
Four Trojans recorded double-digit points on the board including a double-double by junior
Osmar Garcia-Araujo (Sugar Hill, Ga.) for his fourth of the season. He notched 17 points, grabbed 10 boards and shot 70.0% from the floor to fill in the stats sheet for the Black and Gold. Garcia-Araujo set the tone defensively for the Trojans with three blocks and two steals.
Freshman
Rashawn Inglemon (Sacramento, Calif.) paced Anderson with 16 points and three assists on the board while shooting 45.5% from the floor, 57.1% from behind the arc and 100% from the charity stripe. He also added two steals to the Trojans' final tally of 11.
Senior
Malachi Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) posted 14 points on the floor to record a 60.0 field goal percentage while also recording three steals. Junior
Dallas Jones (Gainesville, Fla.) rounded out Anderson's double-digit scoring with 11 points, shooting 66.7% from the line and notching two steals.
AU held an overwhelming edge over the Wolves in almost all statistical categories. The Trojans shot 49.1% from the floor with 11 steals for 23 points off turnovers and 34 points in the paint.
"I love getting to coach a team that plays hard every time they lace them up. We will enjoy this one tonight and then get prepared to face a really good Carson-Newman team coming in here Saturday. We need everyone back in here at 4 o'clock. I love this team."
The Black & Gold remain home on Saturday, Feb. 7 when they host fellow South Atlantic Conference opponent Carson-Newman for the Play-for-Kay game to promote breast cancer awareness. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.
