AIKEN, S.C. – Guard Garrett Denbow scored a season-high 20 points and sophomore Myles Jenkins narrowly missed out on his second straight double-double, but the Anderson men's basketball team wrapped up its three-game, season-opening road swing with an 83-61 loss to USC Aiken, Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
"That's a really good team," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "I was impressed by their toughness and shot-making ability. Great combination. We are building and have a lot to fix. Our identity is not set but it will be. We have to go into a tough road environment like that and play cleaner offensively. We had way too many turnovers, but we will clean that up. What I've learned about our team is they want to be great, and they want to be held to the standard. We know we aren't there yet but we know where we are going. This past week on the road has taught us a lot. We're really excited for our home opener Saturday at Abney!"
Anderson slipped to 0-3 on the early season, while USC Aiken (1-2) captured its first win of the young season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Garrett Denbow poured in 17 points of his team-high effort in the second half and finished the night 7-of-14 from the field, while connecting on 6-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc. The junior from Ashland, Ohio also pulled down six rebounds and dished out an assist. Jenkins added 16 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while handing out three assists. Freshman guard Luke Denbow recorded 12 points, collected three rebounds and dished out a team-best five assists.
Junior forward Mack Burgett recorded six points and five boards, with sophomore guard Jacksen Greco also netting six points and pulling down three rebounds.
USC Aiken guard Tehree Horn led all players with 21 points, while freshman forward Karon Boyd and sophomore guard Tyler Johnson each added 17 points apiece for the Pacers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Trojans came up empty on their first four possessions of the opening half, which enabled the Pacers to score the game's first seven points. But AU responded by reeling off a 10–3 run in less than three minutes, with four different Trojans connecting on baskets to fuel the surge and knot the score for the first and only time of the night, at 10–10.
Jenkins got the Trojans started with a 3-pointer from the right wing with just less than 17 minutes on the clock and less than a minute later Garrett Denbow followed with a trey from the left side to pull the Trojans within one at 7-6. Following a USC Aiken 3-pointer, Luke Denbow nailed a short jumper from the left elbow and Jacksen Greco added another basket at the 14:31 Mark two tie the score at 10–10.
But the Pacers countered with four quick points as part of a 7-2 run and grabbed a five-point,17-12, advantage at the 11:16 with the first of three straight 3s to claim a nine-point lead (23-14). USCA stretched its run to 15-5 and built a 29-17 lead with a little more than three minutes remaining in the half before extending its advantage to 39-20 at the break, as the Trojans suffered through their lowest scoring half in five seasons after misfiring on five of their seven field goal attempts and committing a pair of turnovers in the final 5:44 of the half.
Second Half
With AU trailing by 19 coming out of the break, Garrett Denbow connected on four of his first five 3-point attempts in the second frame to keep the Trojans within 16.
Nearly midway through the second half, the elder Denbow knocked down his lone two-point basket of the frame to spark an 8-2 outburst by the Trojans as they climbed back within 10, at 55-45, with 8:10 remaining in the contest.
But the Pacers responded with 11 unanswered points as part of a 17-4 run over the next five minutes to stake their largest lead of the contest, at 72-49, with less than five minutes on the clock.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The 20 first-half points marked the lowest-scoring half since scoring 17 points in the second half of a 48-45 loss at Erskine on Nov. 18, 2017.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans and Pacers have met just eight times on the hardwood, and only three times since Nov. 18, 2006.
• USC Aiken leads the overall series, 7-1, on the strength of a pair of three-game win streaks and has won four straight past the Trojans.
• Anderson's lone win in the series remains an 86-77 victory in Aiken on Dec. 21, 2001.
• The two teams combined to attempt just 19 free throws on the night.
• The Pacers turned a season-high 20 Trojan turnovers into 27 points.
• AU has connected on double-digit 3-pointers in two straight games.
• USC Aiken won the rebounding battle, 39-33.
UP NEXT
AU will play host to Belmont Abbey in the Trojans' home-opener, Saturday afternoon. Tip-off vs. the Crusaders at the Abney Athletic Center is set for 4 p.m.
