ANDERSON, S.C. - With four players reaching double figures, Anderson defeated Mars Hill, 86-64, in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (12-6, 8-2 SAC) opened the second half of the league schedule by bouncing back from Wednesday night's road setback at Lenoir-Rhyne to win its sixth game in the last eight outings, while Mars Hill fell to 3-15 overall and 0-10 in the league.
Senior guard Denzail Jones led the Trojans with 21 points, with junior Chandler Hash and sophomore guard Myson Jones each adding 16 points apiece. Sophomore Chris Ross notched a career-high 10 points off the bench, while recording six rebounds. Junior Kyle Sledge pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.
Mars Hill senior Khouraichi Thiam scored 23 points and recorded 15 rebounds, while the Lions' Kacey Holt added 10 points.
Anderson scored the first 12 points of the contest and never trailed, as the Trojan defense held Mars Hill scoreless for the first 4:35 of the game. AU pushed out to a 24-7 lead - its largest of the first half - on a jumper by Ross with just less than nine minutes left before intermission.
The Lions trimmed AU's lead to nine on two occasions, but would
get no closer, with the Trojans taking a 38-22 lead at the
break.
AU took its largest lead of the game, at 82-51, with 3:11 remaining
on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Dillon Bender.
The Trojans open a two-game South Atlantic Conference road
swing, beginning at Newberry on Wednesday. AU defeated the Wolves,
105-95, in double-overtime earlier this season at the Abney Center.
Tip-off versus the Wolves is scheduled for 8 p.m
