ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson men's basketball team wrapped up its brief two-game homestand with a 67-59 loss at the hands of Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference play, Thursday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson fell to 5-12 overall and 3-8 in conference action with its fourth straight setback, while Carson-Newman improved to 10-7 overall and 6-5 in league play by winning its third straight decision and sixth of its last seven outings.
Freshman guard Randall Shaw led the Trojans offensively with 21
points, including 13 in the first half. Sophomore guard Tre' Fields
came off the bench to pour in a season-high 20 points on 6-of-12
shooting from the field. Junior guard Lex Davis pulled down a
season-high 10 rebounds, while junior center Rakish Taylor narrowly
missed his seventh double-double by tallying nine points and nine
rebounds. Sophomore Maurice Howard dished out a game-high 10
assists.
Carson-Newman sophomore guard Charles Clark led all scorers with 23
points, with senior forward Carson Brooks adding 14 points. Junior
forward Sawyer Williams pulled down a game-best 13 rebounds, while
senior forward Josh Rogers grabbed 10 boards.
With the Trojans connecting on just two of their first 14 field goal attempts and the Eagles shooting 64.3 percent from the field, AU fell behind, 25-6, midway through the first half and was unable to recover. Howard and Shaw combined to score seven unanswered points for the Trojans, but the Black and Gold was unable to get any closer through the rest of the half, with C-N claiming a 38-22 halftime lead.
Shaw connected on a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to single digits, 44-35, with more than 12 minutes left in the game, but the Eagles responded by pushing back ahead by 16 points at the 7:11 mark. The Trojans steadily chipped away and pulled within 60-53 on the strength of a 13-4 surge, with Fields contributing nine points during the run. The Eagles' Clark slowed the run with a trey and Carson-Newman made just enough free throws (4-of-8) to hold off the Trojans down the stretch.
Anderson closes out the first half of its SAC double-round robin
schedule when the Trojans visit Queens University of Charlotte.
With inclement weather in the forecast, the date and time for the
contest is yet to be determined.
