JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Junior guard Quin Nottingham nailed a pair of 3-pointers inside the final 26 seconds, including a buzzer-beating 75-footer, as the Anderson men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit with less than four minutes left to defeat Carson-Newman, 75-72, in South Atlantic conference action, Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
"It's not often that you get to be a part of such a memorable moment," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "The guys in that locker room just never thought the game was over. Obviously, it took three or four big-time shots from Quin, but we also got a couple big-time stops in the last couple minutes to stay in the game. We had ten available players tonight and one of those ten got sick at halftime and couldn't play the second half. This group continues to take on a lot of adversity and continues to grow together as a team. I will let them enjoy this one a little longer but then it's on to the next."
Anderson improved to 13-7 overall and 8-6 in the league with its fourth straight win and first victory at Holt Fieldhouse since the 2011-12 season. Carson-Newman (7-13, 4-10 SAC) suffered its third straight setback and dropped its fourth decision in five outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Nottingham finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and sank five 3-pointers on the afternoon, with four coming in the final 86 seconds. The Champaign, Ill., native was 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, pulled down six rebounds and swiped a game-high three steals. Freshman guard Crosby James II added 23 points off the bench and grabbed four rebounds, while senior guard Shawn Benard netted 13 points and dished out four assists. Freshman forward Mack Burgett equaled a season-high with nine rebounds.
Carson-Newman senior guard Tripp Davis led four Eagles in double figures with 15 points. Teammate Dmitrii Bykov added 11 points, while sophomore guard Luke Brenegan and Richard Henderson each chipped in 10 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Carson-Newman scored the first 12 points of the contest and pushed out to its largest lead of the game, at 21-8, midway through the first half.
Led by the duo of James and Nottingham, the Trojan offense then came to life, as the Black and Gold went on a 19-7 scoring run to slash the Eagles' lead to just 28-27 with more than three minutes left in the half. James poured in nine points, while Nottingham added five during the surge.
The Eagles responded with nine unanswered points of their own before Benard and James scored the final four points of the frame to trim the C-N lead to 36-31 at the break.
Second Half
Carson-Newman maintained the lead and claimed a double-digit, 53-43, advantage with 11:55 remaining. But the Trojans had another rally in them, as Benard ignited another surge by knocking down a 3-pointer and AU pulled within 58-57 at the 7:53 mark.
The Eagles momentarily withstood the rally by pushing out to a seemingly comfortable 66-57 advantage and still held a 68-60 lead with less than four minutes on the clock, before sophomore forward Satchel Hester knocked down a jumper and Nottingham followed with a rare four-point play to draw AU within 68-66 with 1:26 left. C-N's EJ Bush slowed the Trojans with a pair of free throws, but Nottingham's second trey in a 30-second span pulled the Trojans within 70-69.
Bykov dropped in a layup, but Nottingham wasn't finished, as the 6-foot guard connected on yet another 3-pointer that knotted the score at 72 apiece with 26 seconds on the clock. Following a timeout, Brenegan drove down the left side and missed a hurried jumper, with Nottingham grabbing the carom, taking a couple of steps and launching the game-winner just before the buzzer and setting off a celebration by the Trojans on the Holt Fieldhouse hardwood.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The four-game win streak is AU's longest since winning five straight during the 2014-15 season.
NOTABLES
• AU swept the regular-season series with Carson-Newman for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
• The Trojans have pulled down at least seven offensive rebounds in seven straight games.
• Shawn Benard has handed out at least four assists in seven consecutive games.
• Carson-Newman out-rebounded the Trojans, 38-32.
• The Trojans have swiped at least five steals in seven consecutive games.
• AU has won four straight games, six of its last seven and nine of its last 12 outings.
