HICKORY, N.C. - The Anderson University men's basketball team trimmed a 21-point second-half deficit to 12, but fell, 69-50, to Lenoir-Rhyne in South Atlantic Conference action Saturday night at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
Anderson slipped to 8-8 overall and 4-6 in league play with its third loss in four outings, while Lenoir-Rhyne (7-7, 5-5 SAC) swept the season series with its fourth straight win.
Senior guard Myson Jones led the Trojans with 10 points and four assists off the bench, with senior DJ McGowan sharing game-high rebounding honors with seven boards. Freshman Matthew McClain added eight points in his first action since early December.
Reed Lucas and Jake Wilson tallied 14 points apiece for Lenoir-Rhyne, with junior guard Will Perry chipping in 12 points. Junior forward Rob Noyes posted eight points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Bears.
Anderson freshman guard Maurice Howard connected on the Trojans' second 3-pointer of the half less than three minutes into the contest to give AU its only lead of the game, at 6-5, but the lead was short-lived, as Lenoir-Rhyne's Wilson answered on the other end for the Bears to give L-R a lead it would not relinquish.
A 3-pointer from Darrion Evans and a free throw by Noyes boosted the Bears' lead back to five, with Trojan senior guard Nick Jackson draining the first of his two 3-pointers 17 seconds later to trim the L-R lead to 11-9, with 15 minutes left in the first half.
Evan's trey rebuilt the Bears' advantage to five before the Trojans' Chris Ross dropped in a pair of free throws to trim L-R's advantage to 14-11 with 12:47 on the clock.
Both teams then went ice cold from the field, as neither squad
managed to score until Lenoir-Rhyne's Wilson scored on a layup
nearly four minutes later. Jackson quickly answered with his second
3-pointer of the half to pull AU within a deuce, at 16-14, with
less than nine minutes left before halftime. But the Trojans were
unable to wrestle the lead away and Lenoir-Rhyne closed the half
with a 25-8 outburst to claim a 41-22 advantage at the break.
Wilson opened the second-half scoring with a pair of free throws
for the Bears, while McGowan countered with five straight points
for the Trojans with his first 3-pointer of the game and added a
layup to get AU within 43-27 with 16:55 on the clock, but L-R
quickly answered with five unanswered points to reclaim a 21-point
margin.
Junior center Steven Faust triggered a 13-4 run by AU that saw the Trojans climb back within 55-43, as the junior center connected on a pair of free throws, while Howard and McClain each added four points apiece. But the Bears' Will Perry slowed the AU run with a 3-pointer and L-R answered the Trojan surge with a 12-3 run of its own to claim a 67-46 edge with less than four minutes left in the contest.
The Trojans return home to welcome Brevard to the Abney Center
on Wednesday. Anderson will be looking for a sweep of the season
series after edging the Tornados, 78-75, in early December. Tip-off
is slated for 8 p.m.
