ANDERSON, S.C. - Hot shooting lifted the Anderson men's basketball team past Tusculum, 80-60, in South Atlantic action Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Battling for position in next month's conference tournament, the two teams entered the contest tied for the third spot in the league standings and the Trojans posted their hottest shooting night of the season, torching the nets at a 64.4 percent clip, including 45 percent from beyond the arc.
Anderson (15-10, 9-6 SAC) claimed the season series past the
Pioneers en route to snapping a three-game skid, while Tusculum
(11-14, 8-7 SAC) dropped their second consecutive contest.
The Trojans connected on 16-of-24 in the opening 20 minutes to
build a 49-29 lead at halftime, including a sizzling 9-for-20 from
3-point range.
AU connected on five consecutive field goals, including four treys,
as the Trojans turned a 10-8 lead into a 24-13 advantage over a
four-minute span. Anderson took its largest lead of the first half,
49-29, as Brandon Young just beat the horn with AU's' seventh
3-pointer of the half.
Anderson led by as many as 25 points in the second half before the
Pioneers chipped away at the deficit in the closing minutes, going
7-for-7 from the line inside the final six minutes.
Kevis Cornwell shot 8-for-11 from the field and scored a
game-high 18 points to lead all scorers, while senior guard Brandon
Young and freshman Denzail Jones each netted 17 points. Junior
guard Nick Trull tallied 12 points off the bench.
Justin Steigerwald and Rob Troutman led the Pioneers with 16 points
apiece.
Anderson closes its home schedule on Saturday as the Trojans
play host to Lincoln Memorial on Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for
4 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center
