ANDERSON, S.C. – Using a scorching first-half shooting accuracy from long range, Anderson built an early lead and wrapped up a two-game nonconference homestand by outpacing Johnson C. Smith, 77-66, in men's basketball action, 'Tuesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

"I was extremely proud of our defensive presence tonight," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "We have been working on becoming more consistent on that end of the floor and our work is paying off. It's always good to see the fruits of your labor. Sometimes shots are going to go and sometimes they're not, but we have to hang our hat on our defensive toughness. It was good to see that help us win the game tonight."

Anderson (2-3) earned its second straight home win, while Johnson C. Smith, which was coming off a six-day layoff, fell to 1-4 on the season with its third straight loss.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Garrett Denbow blistered the nets for a game-high 25 points, including 20 in the decisive first half, on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-6 guard was also 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Freshman guard Luke Denbow added 20 points on 7-of-15 accuracy from the field, with six of his baskets coming from outside the arc. He shared game-high honors by handing out three assists.

Junior forward Mack Burgett added nine points, seven rebounds and two steals, while sophomore guard Jacksen Greco recorded eight points and a pair of assists. Another sophomore, Myles Jenkins, notched eight points, eight boards and tied his career high with three assists.

Juniors Cartier Jernigan and Jatavious Watson paced the Golden Bulls with 15 points apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Trojans – mainly Garrett Denbow early - started the game on fire from the field, connecting on their first six field goal attempts, including five straight from beyond the arc - with four treys coming from Garrett Denbow, as they built a quick 18–7 lead over the Golden Bulls inside the opening five minutes,

AU didn't miss a field goal until nearly six minutes had elapsed and they eased out to a double digit, 21–11, advantage with just a little more than 11 minutes left in the opening half.

Then, leading by a dozen (29-17), AU used a 9-1 spurt to take its largest lead of the contest, at 38–18, with 5:42 left before halftime. But Johnson C. Smith countered with 10 unanswered points to cut the Trojan lead in half and pulled within 38-28 in the span of just a little more than two minutes. Garrett Denbow snapped the Golden Bulls' run with a 3-pointer from deep in the right corner and the Trojans went on to hold a 47–34 lead at halftime.

Second Half
JCSU trimmed the Trojans' advantage to single digits with more than 16 minutes on the clock, but AU never wavered down the stretch and lead by at least seven points until finishing with the double-digit win.

"It was an unbelievable crowd tonight too!" added Williams. ""I was thinking maybe because of Thanksgiving break we would have a thinner crowd. Pretty awesome to have a student body that comes out and supports us even during a holiday break. We would not have won these last two games without you. The Trojan army is for real! We would like to wish all of our passionate fans a happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you. Go Trojans!"

ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans' 15 made 3-pointers were just two treys shy of the program record 17, which was most recently set against Newberry on Feb. 22, 2021.

NOTABLES
• The Trojans' 35 3-point attempts were just four shy of the program record 39 taken against Lees-McRae during the 1998-99 season.
• AU won the battle of the boards, 32-31, and equaled its season-high with 11 offensive boards.
• The Trojans finished the night with their second-highest field goal shooting percentage of the season, at 45.5% - and their second-highest 3-point field goal accuracy (42.9%).
• AU connected on a season-low 48% (12-of-25) of its free throws.
• Tuesday's night's game was just the third meeting in program history between the two teams, and the first since Dec. 8, 2018.
• AU leads the brief overall series, 2-1.
• The Trojans have connected on double-digit 3-pointers in four straight games.
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in four consecutive games.
• The Trojans have committed double-figure turnovers in five straight games.
• Opponents have shot at least 50 percent from the floor against the Trojans in four consecutive games.
• Luke Denbow has reached double-figure scoring in five consecutive games.
• Garrett Denbow has reached double-figure scoring in four straight games.

UP NEXT
AU will embark on a trip to Lakeland, Fla., and Florida Southern's Terrace Hotel Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 25-26), where the Trojans will square off against the host Moccasins and Saint Leo.