YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. - The Anderson men's basketball team wrapped up a challenging four-game road swing with an 84-70 setback to Young Harris Wednesday night at the Young Harris Basketball Arena.
Anderson (6-4) wrapped up the nonconference portion of its schedule with its third consecutive setback, marking the first time AU has dropped three straight decisions since February of the 2010-11 season. The Trojans bounced back that season to win seven of their final nine contests en route their first-ever Southeast Region title and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance.
Young Harris improved to 5-3 and has won five of its last six games.
The opening half featured five ties and three lead changes, with neither team able to build more than a six-point lead.
Anderson's Bo Holston snapped an early, 8-8, tie with his lone 3-pointer of the night and the Trojans gained their largest lead of the contest, at 16-12, on a trey from sophomore Alani Adekambi with 9:25 left in the first half.
The Mountain Lions responded with a 12-2 run to take a 24-18 edge, only to see Anderson chip away and knot the score at 26 apiece on Chandler Hash's second 3-pointer of the half.
But junior guard Vince Martin connected on a short jumper to give Young Harris a lead it would not surrender with 2:19 on the clock and the Mountain Lions took a 34-28 lead to intermission.
Young Harris scored 10 unanswered points in the first two minutes of the second half as part of an 18-6 run to begin the frame, as the Mountain Lions turned the six-point halftime lead into a 52-34 cushion with 14:41 left in the game.
Denzail Jones slowed the initial Young Harris outburst with a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull Anderson within 44-31 and freshman Steven Faust followed with a layup to trim the deficit to 11, but the Mountain Lions continued the surge.
Trailing, 58-43, midway through the second half, the Trojans scored six straight points to battle back within nine, as Jones notched four points and Hash added two.
But Young Harris responded with an 11-2 run over the next two minutes to regain an 18-point advantage with 7:02 left and maintained the double-digit lead the remainder of the contest.
Hash led four Trojans in double figures with 14 points, while Holston narrowly missed his first double-double with the Black and Gold, scoring 13 points and pulling down a season-high nine rebounds. Adekambi added a career-best 13 points off the bench and Jones finished with 12 points. Junior forward Kyle Sledge netted 10 points and recorded seven rebounds.
Young Harris guard Malcolm Jackson scored a game-high 26 points and Martin finished with 17 points. Junior Frank Adams notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Steve Viterbo tossed in 12 points.
The Trojans have a three-week layoff before resuming South
Atlantic Conference action by playing host to Newberry on
Wednesday, Jan. 9. Tip-off versus the Indians is scheduled for 8
p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center.
