BELMONT, N.C. -- The Anderson men's basketball team began the second half of its Conference Carolinas schedule by battling tough on the road, but came up shy by falling, 88-79, to Belmont Abbey Thursday night at the Wheeler Center. Earlier this season, Anderson junior Kevis Cornwell dropped in a shot with 36.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give Anderson a lead it would not relinquish and the Trojans held on for a thrilling 96-92 overtime home win past the Crusaders as Tony Anderson led all scorers with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting on the night. Trey Britton notched his first career double-double, adding 16 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Belmont Abbey (10-7, 6-5 Conference Carolinas) won its fourth straight and snapped AU's five-game win streak as the Trojans fell to 13-4 and 7-4 in the conference. The opening half saw three ties and three lead changes, all in the first three minutes, as the Abbey took the lead for good at 10-8 on a Richard Barbee layup, which started a 10-3 Crusader run that pushed the AU deficit to seven points at 18-11. Nick Trull drained back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to one, and the two teams exchanged baskets for the next several minutes before a 14-6 Abbey run to close the half gave it a 45-37 lead at the break. The second half was a series of runs by both teams, as the Abbey's lead never dipped below four points but was never higher than 11. Leading 66-55 with 9:45 left, Anderson went on a 9-2 run to close the lead to four, but the Crusaders answered the charge by building its lead back to eight points with 1:55 left. Anderson got as close as seven points after that, but the Abbey sank five free throws and used a basket by Ian Parry in the final 1:16 to seal the win. Anderson, which shot 42 percent (28-of-66) was led by Tony Anderson's 21 points, one of four Trojans to reach double figures. Trey Britton recorded a double-double, adding 18 points and 11 boards, while Brandon Young and Nick Trull contributed 14 and 11, respectively. The Crusaders shot 47 percent (32-68) from the floor and won the rebounding battle by a 44-42 count. Belmont Abbey junior guard Richard Barbee and sophomore forward Kyle Phillips both posted double doubles, with Barbee scoring a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Phillips contributing 23 points and 11 rebounds. Anderson steps out of conference play for the final time this season when the Trojans return home to play host to North Greenville on Saturday. AU opened the 2009-10 campaign with an 88-81 road win past the Crusaders in mid-November. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center. Box Score