![Outside Shooting Propels Trojans Past UNC Pembroke](/sports/mbkb/2009-10/releases/a735.html_weyeu.jpeg?max_width=450)
ANDERSON, S.C. -- Anderson unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers
midway through the second half and wrapped up its five-game
homestand by defeating UNC Pembroke, 107-90, in non-conference
men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic
Center. Anderson (5-1), which had its season-opening four-game win
streak snapped last Saturday, jumped back into the win column
behind 64.7 percent shooting (11-of-17) from beyond the arc, while
handing the Braves (3-5) their third consecutive setback. In a
contest that saw AU lead for the first 23 minutes, then featured
three ties and eight lead changes over the next five minutes of
action, the Trojans' Nick Trull dropped in an acrobatic left-handed
layup in traffic that gave Anderson a 56-55 lead that the Trojans
would not surrender. Clinging to a 60-57 edge at the 11:18 mark,
senior guard Tony Anderson drained a 3-pointer from the left side,
igniting a flurry of treys with three other Trojans each nailing a
triple over the next three minutes and Anderson book-ending the
spurt with another 3 to give AU a 79-65 cushion with 8:06 showing
on the clock. The Braves trimmed Anderson's lead to just seven with
a minute remaining, but the Trojans hit clutch free throws
(7-of-10) at the stripe inside the final minute to seal the win.
"We are hard to beat when we make shots," Anderson head coach Jason
Taylor. "And we made them tonight, but we didn't take of the ball
and we still have to get better defensively. I thought our guards
played well." Neither team had faced an opponent in a week and the
layoff showed early in the game, with the two squads combining for
eight turnovers and five missed shots to open the contest. But the
Anderson offense got on track first, as AU exploded on a 17-3 run
midway through the opening frame and opened the first of three
16-point leads at the 9:23 mark. Leading by just a bucket, 13-11,
guards Kevis Cornwell and Oskars Ernstein combined for seven
unanswered points to boost the Trojans' advantage to nine.
Following a UNC Pembroke score on the other end, Taylor Shugart
went to work inside for AU, scoring two consecutive baskets and
after the Braves' Marcus Heath hit one of two from the line, Trull
nailed a trey from the right side, giving Anderson a 30-14 cushion.
But the Braves refused to go away and cut the AU lead to five at
the half, with the Trojans committing five of their 16 turnovers in
the final four minutes. UNC Pembroke continued its charge into the
second half, connecting on four of its first seven shots and taking
its first lead of the game, 47-46, with 17:08 left in the game. The
lead then changed hands seven more times before Trull dropped in
the layup. Junior guard Brandon Young scored his 1, 000th career
point on a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner with 16:27 left
in the first half, becoming just the fourth player in the history
of Anderson University men's basketball to reach the milestone. The
6-foot-2 playmaker finished the game with a team-best 23 points and
dished out a game-high five assists. Young also hit 9-of-10 free
throws on the night. Sophomore Taylor Shugart connected on his
first seven fields goals en route to recording a double-double with
22 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Tony Anderson added 21
points and four assists, while Nick Trull tossed in 20 points.
Junior guard Kevis Cornwell netted 10 points and also recorded four
assists. "Taylor [Shugart] played well. We need to keep going to
him," Taylor added. "Oskars [Ernsteins] gave us a nice spark off
the bench with nine points and Nick [Trull] shot the ball well."
The Braves' Brandon Thomas led all scorers with 24 points on the
afternoon. The Trojans get back on the court Tuesday night when
they pay a visit to North Georgia College and State University.
Tip-off versus the Saints in Dahlonega is scheduled for 7 p.m. Game
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