BANNER ELK, N.C. -- Using a scoring outburst in the first half, Anderson stayed undefeated in league play and began the New Year by handing Lees-McRae its second consecutive loss, 70-51, in women's basketball action Monday night at Williams Gymnasium. Seeing its first action in more than two weeks, Anderson (4-4, 3-0 Conference Carolinas) snapped a two-game winless skid and stayed perfect in conference play, while Lees-McRae (1-6, 1-3 Conference Carolinas) remained winless at home in four attempts this season. The Trojans opened hot offensively, connecting on their first three shots of the contest and jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as the Anderson defense held the Lady Bobcats scoreless for the opening four minutes of the contest. But Lees-McRae's Candace Flowers scored five unanswered points as the Lady Bobcats reeled off an 8-2 run to knot the score for the only time of the night with 13:53 remaining in the first half. Less than a minute later, Anderson's Shanice Wilson snapped the LMC run with two free throws that gave the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish. The 5-foot-9 senior ignited a 21-4 run by the Trojans over the next 13 minutes and AU held a 29-15 advantage at the half. The Trojans took their largest lead of the contest, 55-29, on freshman guard Alissa Diaz's basket with 8:16 remaining in the game. Anderson shot an impressive 44 percent for the game, including 9-of-17 in the decisive first half and converted 28 Lady Bobcats' turnovers into 24 points, with nine Trojans reaching the scoring column. The Trojans also shot 71 percent (20-of-28) from the charity stripe. The AU defense held Lees-McRae to 31 percent shooting from the field on the night. "I'm very happy and proud about getting the win," said Anderson head coach Jim Brunelli. "But I was disappointed with our turnovers and offensive rebounding. Everyone needs to play hard every time out." Junior guard Ashley Abed led four Trojans in double figures with 15 points, while Shanice Wilson and Alexa Neal each added 14 points. Diaz tallied 11 points and freshman center Maci Siniard narrowly missed a double-double, scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds. "Shanice [Wilson] played an outstanding game and I thought Alissa came out and got us started while Maci [Siniard] also played well," Brunelli added. Anderson plays host to Converse Thursday night with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center. Game Stats