ANDERSON, S.C. - By shooting above 50 percent for the second consecutive outing, the Anderson University men's basketball team opened the New Year by routing Catawba, 92-63, in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

"I am very proud of our players and that performance," said Anderson head coach Jason Taylor. "[Catawba] is a good, talented, well-coached team and we are not that much better than them. I am proud of the way we defended, rebounded, and shared the ball tonight. Everyone competed and played well for us."

Anderson did not show any rust from a 14-day layoff, as the Trojans improved to 7-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference, while claiming their fifth straight victory by earning their first home conference win of the season. Catawba (5-6, 3-3 SAC), which was coming off a 10-day break from the hardwood, dropped its third straight decision and suffered its 10th straight loss to the Trojans.

Senior guard Myson Jones led all scorers with 16 points and pulled down four rebounds, while senior Nick Jackson added 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Senior guard DJ McGowan tallied 12 points and eight boards, with freshman Maurice Howard and senior Alani Adekambi each dropping in nine points on the afternoon.

Freshman forward Jerrin Morrison led the Indians with 15 points, while junior KJ Arrington notched 13 points and sophomore Rakeen Brown posted 12 points.

The Trojans led wire-to-wire and won the battle of the boards, 49-19, and held the Indians to 33.9 percent shooting (19-of-56) from the field, while pulling down 18 offensive rebounds.

Anderson scored the first seven points of the contest, as the Trojans built a 16-4 cushion inside the first seven minutes of action. McGowan and Jones each scored four points, with Jackson draining a 3-pointer during the decisive opening surge.

Catawba climbed within 10 with just less than 13 minutes left in the first half, but would get no closer as the Trojans steadily built their lead to 21 points with 7:30 left in the opening half and took a 47-25 lead at the half.

AU claimed its largest lead of the contest, 71-38, midway through the second half on freshman Kendall Henry's 3-pointer.

Every player that saw the hardwood got into the scoring column for the Trojans, while AU's margin of victory was the largest since defeating Mars Hill, 106-76, last February at the Abney Center.

The Trojans play three of their next four games on the road, beginning with a two-game road swing. Anderson squares off against fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial for the second time this season in Harrogate, Tenn. on Wednesday, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m.