ANDERSON, S.C. -With three players reaching double figures in the scoring column, the Anderson men's basketball team outpaced Lenoir-Rhyne, 78-70, in South Atlantic Conference action, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson improved to 7-19 overall and 5-15 in the league and has won two of its last three decisions, while halting Lenoir-Rhyne's five-game win streak. The Bears fell to 17-8 overall and 12-8 in the conference.
Lenoir-Rhyne won the rebounding battle, 40-32, but the Trojans offset the deficit by converting 15 Lenoir-Rhyne turnovers into 19 points.
Anderson junior guard Lex Davis led all scorers with a
career-high 23 points, while freshman guard Randall Shaw added 21
points, including 17 in the first half. Sophomore guard Maurice
Howard posted an impressive stat line with 17 points, a team-high
eight rebounds and four assists. Junior center Rakish Taylor
grabbed seven rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
Keenan Palmore paced the Bears with 13 points and grabbed 12
rebounds, with Rob Noyes posting 12 points. Will Perry chipped in
11 points, while JacQues Chambers added 10 points and 10
boards.
The lead changed hands five times in the opening 20 minutes, with the Trojans grabbing their largest lead of the first half midway through the frame. After falling behind, 10-5, with more than 16 minutes on the clock, AU chipped way with an 18-5 outburst and pushed out to a 23-15 advantage with 9:20 left before intermission. Shaw tossed in 11 of his first-half points during the surge, with Howard adding four. But the Bears countered with an 18-5 run of the own over the next 5:33 to reclaim an eight-point edge with less than four minutes remaining before the break.
Anderson whittled away at the L-R advantage and trailed just 38-36 at the break following Howard's two free throws.
AU's Davis opened the second half by draining one of his three
treys on the afternoon and while the contest was tied twice in the
second half, the Trojans would not trail again. The Trojans led by
as many as five points on three occasions through the first 18:17
of the second half, holding off repeated charges by the Bears. With
the Trojans clinging to a 68-63 lead with 1:43 left, AU connected
on 8-of-10 from the free throw line to clinch the victory.
Anderson wraps up its home slate on Wednesday, when fourth-ranked
and league-leading Lincoln Memorial invades the Abney Center for an
8 p.m. tip-off.
