GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Behind a second-half rally, the Anderson men's basketball team moved closer to clinching a berth in next week's South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a 73-64 win past Tusculum Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.
Tonight's victory, coupled with a loss by Brevard Thursday night at Mars Hill, would clinch a spot for the Trojans in next week's conference tournament. Anderson (14-13, 10-11 SAC) won its third straight decision, while moving above .500 on the season for the first time since mid-January. The Trojans claimed their sixth victory in the last eight contests and defeated Tusculum (7-20, 6-15) for the 11th straight time, while halting the Pioneers' three-game win streak.
Seniors Myson Jones and Nick Jackson shared team-high scoring honors with 17 points apiece. Jones posted 13 points during the opening 20 minutes of action and handed out a team-best five assists on the night, with Jackson tallying 14 second-half points. The Grandview, Mo., native was 6-of-12 from the field and drained five 3-pointers. Jackson has reached double figures in three straight games - all victories. Senior Chris Ross reached double figures in the scoring column for the eighth consecutive contest with 11 points, while freshman Matthew McClain equaled his career-high by pulling down 10 rebounds.
Tusculum sophomore Chase Mounce led all scorers with 24 points, with sophomore guard Zach Davis adding 11 points for the Pioneers. Sophomore guard Cory Fagan netted 10 points in the setback, while forward Matt Shown recorded a game-high 11 boards.
Tusculum was 3-for-4 in the early moments and used a pair of 3-pointers to gain a quick 8-2 lead inside the first two minutes of the contest. With the Trojans struggling to connect from the field, Tusculum claimed its largest lead of the game, at 13-4, with 15:52 on the clock as AU hit just two of its first six attempts. Meanwhile, the Pioneers were 5-of-8 on their home hardwood.
With Mounce and Shown combining for nine early points for Tusculum, the Pioneers still held a 17-9 lead with less than 14 minutes left in the first half. But the Trojans quickly closed the gap, as Ross was fouled while tipping in a Jones' miss and knocked down the free throw for a traditional three-point play and Jackson followed with a 3-pointer from beyond the arc to help fuel a 15-8 run by AU.
Freshman Maurice Howard's lone trey of the night knotted the score for the first time, at 22 apiece, midway through the first half and sophomore Rakish Taylor's jumper at the 8:18 mark gave Anderson a 24-22 lead - its' first of the game.
The Pioneers responded with an 11-4 outburst to claim a five-point advantage with exactly four minutes left in the first half, but the Trojan defense stiffened and held Tusculum without a field goal over the remainder of the opening half. Jones then erupted for 11 of his 13 first-half points over the final 3:42 of the frame, as the Trojans carried a 39-37 lead to the locker room.
The first eight minutes of the second half featured four ties and four lead changes, with neither team able to build more than a four-point cushion. After Mounce dropped in a pair of free throws to give Tusculum a slim 52-50 edge with less than 13 minutes left in the contest.
Jackson answered by nailing a 3-pointer to give the Trojans a lead they would not surrender. Three minutes later, his fourth trey of the night boosted AU's advantage to 60-54 with 9:02 on the clock and senior Alani Adekambi's first basket of the game capped a 16-4 run by the Black and Gold that culminated in AU's first double-digit lead, at 64-54.
The Trojans built an 11-point margin with more than two minutes remaining and withstood the Pioneers' challenge in the closing moments.
Anderson closes out the regular season by playing host to Queens
University on Saturday. The Trojans will say farewell to five
seniors prior to the contest and will be looking avenge an 80-65
setback suffered in Charlotte earlier this season. Tip-off versus
the Royals is slated for 4 p.m.
