ANDERSON, S.C. – Freshman guard Pharoah Lassiter banked in his only basket of the game - a 24-foot 3-pointer from the right side as time expired to lift Livingstone to a 104-103 win over Anderson, in nonconference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (2-8) opened a three-game homestand and wrapped up its nonconference home schedule with its fifth consecutive setback, while Livingstone (4-4) won its third straight decision.
"Have to give (Livingstone) coach Stinson a ton of credit," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "They have been through a lot the past few weeks. I was very impressed with how hard they played and how they kept fighting off every run we made. They came in here and outworked us and competed at the level necessary to win. They deserved it. The game honors toughness. Also, free throw shooting. It was impressive that they made 30 free throws on 36 tries. That has to be a record in here for free throw attempts. Tough way to lose on a banked three at the horn up two, but that's not what beat us. I was disappointed with how we defended down the stretch. It hurt not having our starting 4 and our starting 5 out there because they fouled out, but we have to be ready when opportunities come. We'll grow from it."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore guard Jacksen Greco shared game-high scoring honors by equaling his season-high with 27 points on the afternoon. The Canton, Ga., native was 8-of-14 from the field and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out a season-high four assists. Junior guard Garrett Denbow poured in a season-best 26 points on 9-of-13 accuracy from the field, including 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. He grabbed four rebounds and handed out a pair of assists.
Freshman guard Luke Denbow added 23 points, recorded four rebounds and dished out a career-best seven assists. Guard Myles Jenkins narrowly missed his second double-double of the season after dropping in 16 points and pulling down a game-high eight boards. The sophomore from Lexington also had three assists and two steals and was 6-of-10 from the field.
Livingstone junior guard Teon Tiller netted 27 points, while DeMarr McRae came off the bench to add 16 for the Blue Bears.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Trojans, who were shooting better than 60 percent for most of the first half, steadily built a 30-17 lead midway through the first half and still led by double-digits (40-30), with less than six minutes left in the half.
But the Blue Bears went on a 16-5 run over the next four minutes and claimed their first lead of the contest, at 46-45, with less than two minutes left before intermission. Garrett Denbow countered for the Trojans with his third trey of the half and Greco closed out the frame with a pair of free throws to give AU a 50-46 halftime advantage.
Second Half
The Trojans edged out to a 56-49 lead – the largest advantage for either team in the second half - on Greco's old-fashioned three-point play at the 18:39 mark and held a five-point lead (61-56) following Luke Denbow's 3-pointer from the right wing just a little over a minute later.
But Livingstone answered with a 9-1 run to re-take the lead, with the two teams swapping the lead six times inside the final 13:40, and neither team was able to build more than a two-possession lead down the stretch.
The Trojans took a 90-85 advantage on Garrett Denbow's 3-pointer from between the circles with five minutes left and were a clutch 3-for-4 from the free throw line in a 20-second span inside the final three minutes and claimed a 102-99 lead when Luke Denbow drove the right baseline and dropped in the layup with just 19 seconds remaining.
Following a timeout, McRae pulled Livingstone within 102-101 with a layup with just 3.9 ticks on the clock. The Blue Bears fouled immediately and the Trojans connected on 1-of-2 free throws on the other end, setting up Lassiter's last-second heroics.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans matched their season-high field goal shooting percentage (51.5%) by going 35-of-68.
NOTABLES
• The Blue Bears were 30-of-36 (83.3%) from the charity stripe.
• AU dished out a season-high 19 assists.
• The Trojans' 103 points were the most since scoring 104 points in a 104-95 win over UVA Wise on Nov. 20, 2021.
• AU won the rebounding battle, 37-34, and recorded a season-high 14 offensive boards.
• The Trojans' 16 made 3-pointers were just one shy of the program record, which has been reached three times – most recently against Newberry on 2/22/21.
• The game was tied 10 times, with eight of the tie scores occurring in the second half.
• The contest featured 11 lead changes – seven in the second half.
• AU's 38 attempted 3-pointers were just one shy of the program record, which was set against Lees-McRae on 2/20/99.
• The Trojans are 1-1 this season against opponents from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
• The Blue Bears have won both games in the brief overall series between the two programs after also defeating AU during the 1995-96 season.
UP NEXT
The Trojans continue their longest homestand of the season by playing host to Wingate, Wednesday, Dec. 14 and Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Dec. 17. Tip-off against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Abney Center.
