JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- Anderson rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit, but a slow start proved to be too much to overcome as Carson-Newman defeated the Trojans, 68-57, in non-conference women's basketball action Sunday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse. Anderson (0-1) fell behind early as Carson-Newman (1-0) applied pressure, and with the score knotted at 9-9 at the 12:20 mark of the first half, the Lady Eagles went on a 22-3 run over the next 10 minutes and pushed out to a 31-12 advantage, their largest of the contest. But the Trojans settled down and battled back, going on a 12-3 run of their own behind seven points from junior guard Demika Holt, a native of Jefferson City, Tenn., who was playing in front of a large contingent of family. Freshman guard Alissa Diaz added three points during the Trojans' surge, which trimmed the Carson-Newman lead to 34-24 at the half. Anderson's Shanice Wilson scored the first basket out of the break to pull AU within eight, but both teams hit a drought, going nearly three minutes without scoring before Wilson drained one-of-two from the free throw line with 16:53 remaining in the game. The teams played on even terms over the next three minutes and freshman Breonda Shannon's jumper cut the deficit to 38-33 with more than 14 minutes on the clock. AU got within five points again with just 3:03 remaining, but it would be as close as the Trojans would get, Carson-Newman's Kaitlin Moore answered with her only 3-pointer of the afternoon. "Our effort was a lot better in the second half," Anderson head coach Jim Brunelli said. "We had a lot of turnovers, but the mistakes we made are correctable. Some of our younger players gained some valuable experience." The regular-season opener for both teams saw the two squads commit a combined 64 turnovers and 53 personal fouls on the afternoon. Wilson scored a team-high 12 points for the Trojans, while Alexa Neal added 11 points and three assists. Holt chipped in nine points on the strength of four-of four shooting from the charity stripe. Freshman Amanda Parris came off the bench to net seven points in her AU debut. Carson-Newman's Ashley Kyle posted a game-high 17 points, while teammate Shari Buford narrowly missed a double-double with 17 rebounds and nine points. Anderson will get back on the court Wednesday when the Trojans play host to USC Aiken at 5:30 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center. Game Stats