AUGUSTA, Ga. - Paced by senior Chandler Hash's career-high 42 points, Anderson outlasted GRU Augusta, 91-86, in men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at the HCCU PBC-SAC Challenge, hosted by the Jaguars at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

"What a collective team effort," said Anderson head coach Jason Taylor. "Our rebounding was phenomenal and all of our guys responded to the challenge. This is a very tough place to play. It had a tournament atmosphere to it and I hope it pays dividends down the road."

In the first meeting between the two teams since the Trojans upset the top-seeded and nationally third-ranked Jags, 75-73, in overtime in the finals of the 2011 NCAA Southeast Regional, Anderson improved to 2-0 on the young season, while GRU Augusta slipped to 1-1.

Leading by three at the 15:09 mark of the first half, the Trojans went on a 15-6 outburst over the next six-plus minutes to take their largest lead of the contest, as Hash ignited the run with a driving layup and Myson Jones followed with a 3-pointer. Hash and Myles Daniel fueled the surge with back-to-back treys and following a pair of Hash free throws, sophomore Steven Faust capped the run with a layup.

GRU Augusta responded with five consecutive points to climb within seven, at 26-19, with 7:01 left, but Daniel drained the Trojans' fifth 3-pointer to slow the Jaguars. Anderson maintained the advantage for the next six minutes and equaled its largest lead on another trey, this time from freshman Tony Dargan, to give AU a 43-29 cushion with 2:31 remaining in the half.

But the homestanding Jaguars responded with a 10-2 run to close the half and the Trojans took a 45-39 edge into intermission.

With Anderson leading, 55-49, with less than four minutes gone in the second stanza, GRU Augusta posted seven straight points to take its first lead since the early moments of the contest.

Hash quickly answered 16 seconds later with a 3-pointer to give the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish, as AU countered with eight unanswered points of its own to claim a 63-56 lead on a pair of free throws from the guard.

The Trojans maintained the advantage and pushed out to a 77-68 lead with 3:41 on the clock, but GRU Augusta refused to go away quietly. With AU leading, 85-80, the Jaguars' defense forced three consecutive Anderson turnovers and climbed within one with 17.6 seconds remaining. With the Trojans clinging to an 85-84 lead, the Jaguars had an opportunity to take the lead with just less than 15 seconds on the clock, but the Trojan defense stepped up to the occasion and forced a turnover, with Hash swiping an inbounds pass.

After trading free throws, the Trojans were still holding the edge and Daniel drew a foul and gave Anderson a slim 89-86 cushion on two from the charity stripe with 5.5 ticks left. Following a Jaguar turnover, Jones clinched the victory with two free throws of his own.

As a team, Anderson shot 44.6 percent from the field, while GRU Augusta connected on 46.6 percent. AU out-rebounded the Jags, 34-33, and was 31-of-32 (96.9 percent) from the line on the night.

Hash was 10-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and was 17-of-18 from the line.

The left-handed guard's scoring output equaled the sixth-highest tally in South Atlantic Conference history, and was the most points scored by a Trojan since former standout Denzail Jones connected for 50 points in the semifinals of the 2012 SAC Tournament. Hash's 17 free throws on the day also tied two other players for the fifth-most in league history.

Daniel added 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while senior Kyle Sledge pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. Jones dished out a team-best six assists.

Senior forward KJ Sherrill led five Jaguars in double figures.

"We do not want to get too high or too low," added Taylor. "We have a short turnaround with our biggest rival (on Tuesday). Erskine is extremely talented."

Anderson will get back on the hardwood quickly, as the Trojans visit their longtime rivals Tuesday night in Due West, S.C., in the second contest of a women's - men's doubleheader versus the Flying Fleet.