ANDERSON, S.C. - Following a 15-day layoff, the Anderson men's basketball team won its second game in three outings by outlasting Warren Wilson, 56-53, in the Trojans' final nonconference game of the season, Monday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson (4-8) claimed the first-ever matchup between the two schools, while Warren Wilson (7-10) dropped its third straight decision.

The teams showed the effects of time away from the hardwood, as the two squads combined for 37 turnovers, with the Trojans equaling a season-high 19 miscues. Anderson claimed a 38-35 edge in the rebounding battle, while doubling up the Owls, 38-16, in points scored in the paint. Warren Wilson drained eight 3-pointers on the night, with the Trojans connecting on a pair of treys. Anderson struggled at the free throw line (12-of-25), while the Owls connected on 9-of-14 from the charity stripe.

Junior center Rakish Taylor led all scorers with 16 points and recorded a career-high 15 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Sophomore guard Maurice Howard reached double-figure scoring for the eighth straight game by netting 11 points and dishing out four assists. Freshman forward Jeremy Bouton added nine second-half points and grabbed six rebounds.

Senior forward Tyler Triplett led Warren Wilson with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Devin Davis chipped in 10 points and six rebounds for the Owls.

The contest saw 10 lead changes and nine ties, including four in the opening 12 minutes of the game. After Justin Gonyea's jumper with 13:06 left in the opening half gave the Owls their largest lead at 14-7, the Trojans reeled off 11 unanswered points over the next 4:05 to jump out to an 18-14 advantage. Taylor fueled the outburst by scoring all nine of his first-half points in less than four minutes and capped the run with a slam. The Black and Gold defense also stepped up by holding the Owls scoreless for nearly six minutes.

The lead changed hands four times over the final nine minutes of the half, with Tony Dargan's jumper giving AU a narrow 30-28 edge at intermission.

Bouton stretched the lead out to 37-32 with a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner with 14:13 on the clock, but neither team was able to build more than a six-point advantage in the second half. With the Trojans trailing, 50-49, and less than two minutes left, Howard dropped in a driving layup to give AU a one-point lead and Taylor followed with another close basket to push the advantage to three with 1:01 remaining. But Warren Wilson's Timothy Johnson answered with a 3-pointer from the right side 20 seconds later to knot the score at 53-53.

Following a 30-second timeout, Bouton battled inside for a close basket with 25.4 on the clock and following a turnover by the Owls, Howard connected on one-of-two from the line to set the final score, as Warren Wilson was unable to get off a shot in the final 1.6 seconds.

The Trojans jump back into South Atlantic Conference action by playing host to Brevard on Wednesday at the Abney Center. Tip-off versus the Tornados is set for 8 p.m.