ANDERSON, S.C. – Junior guard Quin Nottingham poured in a career-high 36 points to help lead the Anderson University men's basketball team to an 87-79 South Atlantic Conference win over Lenoir-Rhyne, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
"It was a great team effort tonight," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "[Our guys] competed and played hard for 40 minutes. We were very efficient on the offensive end in both the first and second half. Defensively we got stops when we needed them. We'll enjoy it for a few hours and on to the next game."
Anderson (5-4, 2-3 SAC) opened a season-high three-game homestand with its second win in three outings, while Lenoir-Rhyne (4-4, 0-3 SAC) suffered its third straight conference setback and its fourth loss in five decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Nottingham was 15-of-23 from the field on the afternoon and also pulled in three rebounds, while senior guard Shawn Benard narrowly missed his second double-double of the season with 19 points and nine assists. The native of Mobile, Ala., was 6-of-6 from the charity stripe and also recorded seven rebounds.
Sophomore center Jason Edwards was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field in the opening half and finished with a season-high 10 points, while grabbing four rebounds. Junior guard Alex Keel netted a season-high nine points and pulled down seven boards, with sophomore forward Satchel Hester equaling a career-high with a game-best eight rebounds.
Lenoir-Rhyne's R.J. Gunn led the Bears with 21 points and seven rebounds, with teammate Darius Simmons adding 14 points and four assists. Junior guard Mason Hawks chipped in 13 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
A pair of early 3-pointers – first from Hawks and then by Simmons - staked the Bears to a 6-2 advantage inside the opening three minutes, but an uncommon four-point play by Keel knotted the score at six apiece at the 17:05 mark.
After the teams traded baskets, Gunn scored five straight points for L-R, but it was the last lead of the afternoon for the Bears, as Edwards dropped in a layup that sparked a decisive run of 18 straight points for the Trojans over the next six minutes. The Sydney, Australia, native helped fuel the outburst with four more points, while Nottingham capped the run by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the half that gave the Trojans a 26-13 cushion with 9:22 left in the half.
Lenoir-Rhyne countered with seven unanswered points to close within six, but the Trojans held steady and the six-point margin was as close as the Bears would get until less than four minutes remained in the game.
AU steadily pulled away over the next five minutes and claimed its largest lead of the half, at 39-24, on a trey from Nottingham. A 3-pointer the Bears' Gunn ignited an 8-2 run by the visitors, but a layup from AU freshman Mack Burgett gave the Trojans a 43-32 halftime edge.
Second Half
The Trojans claimed their largest lead of the contest, 59-41, on a driving layup from Nottingham with more than 14 minutes on the clock and AU held a double digit lead until Simmons tossed in a pair of free throws that cut AU's lead to just 77-71 at the 3:41 mark.
With the shot clock winding down on AU's next possession, Nottingham drained a 3-pointer from the right side that stalled Lenoir-Rhyne's comeback and gave the Trojans a three-possession lead with 3:22 left. Nottingham, Benard and Hester combined to go 5-for-7 at the free throw line inside the final 1:34 to help seal the win.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans were 33-of-58 (56.9%) from the field - their highest shooting accuracy of the season.
NOTABLES
• The game featured two of the top three scorers in the league, with Nottingham (22.9 ppg) leading the SAC in scoring and Gunn (20.9 ppg) ranking third.
• AU was 12-of-14 (85.7%) from the free throw line – the second-highest shooting percentage of the season for the Black and Gold.
• The Trojans won the battle of the boards, 35-31.
• AU won its third straight decision past the Bears, while improving to 8-2 all-time versus L-R at the Abney Center.
• The win marked AU's fourth consecutive victory at the Abney Athletic Center dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will continue their homestand by welcoming 25th-ranked Belmont Abbey to the Electric City on Tuesday. Tip-off versus Head Coach Jeff Brookman's alma mater is slated for 5:30 p.m.
