ANDERSON, S.C. – Returning to the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center after a quick one game road trip, the Anderson University (10-9, 5-6 SAC) men's basketball team gave the home crowd a show as they were able to down the Wolves of Newberry College (5-12, 4-8 SAC) by a score of 72-59 on Wednesday, January 31.
Senior Garrett Denbow (Ashland, Ohio) found his groove from the three-point line, knocking down five from long range to lead the team with 17 points. Sophomore Cole Middleton (Atlanta, Ga.) tallied 14 points to go with his six rebounds while sophomore Luke Denbow (Ashland, Ohio) and junior Austin Webb (South Point, Ohio) and 12 and 11 points to the Trojans tally, respectively. Senior Mack Burgett (Richmond, Va.) led the team in rebounds and assists with 9 boards and 7 dimes while freshman AJ Wright Jr. (Tampa, Fla.) added six more assists in the contest.
It was nearly two minutes into the game before the first basket was made by the Trojans and that low scoring affair carried into the first stoppage of the game with the score knotted up at five all. The offenses began to come alive over the next four minutes as both teams were able to increase their production with the Trojans holding the slight one-point advantage over the Wolves with 11:09 left in the first.
In a half that saw the lead change hands eight different times, the Wolves were able to take the lead in the contest into the next media timeout, 19-15. However, by the next stoppage a pair of clutch three-point shots by Garrett Denbow swung the favor back onto the home side of the scoreboard with the Trojans leading 27-25 in the final three minutes of the opening stanza. They would double that lead over the final stretch to take the 32-28 lead into the locker room.
The second half saw the Trojans lead from start to finish, not without some close scares from the Wolves who closed the gap to just one point on multiple occasions in the first six minutes of action in the second. However, the Anderson offense got on a roll and by the 11:05 mark in the half had brought their lead out to seven points at 51-44. An 11-point lead was the highest that the Trojans were able to put together until the final minute of action when they increased it to a game-high 14, before securing the final 13-point victory at 72-59.
Anderson returns to action on Saturday, February 3 as they take on Coker University in a league match-up with a 4:00 p.m. tip.
