ANDERSON, S.C. - Freshman sharpshooter Emily Willoughby came off the bench and connected on a South Atlantic Conference record eight 3-pointers as the Anderson women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day by defeating Lincoln Memorial, 71-47, in league action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

With the win, Anderson (11-13, 7-9 SAC) clinched a berth in next month's conference tournament and handed the Lady Railsplitters their fourth loss in their last five outings, as seniors Ashley Abed and Alexa Neal made their final appearance at the Abney Center.

Lincoln Memorial fell to 9-15 overall and 4-12 in the league and was eliminated from qualifying for the postseason.

The Lady Railsplitters edged out to their largest lead of the contest at 13-7 with 12:42 remaining in the first half, but Anderson chipped away and knotted the score at 18 apiece four minutes later.

Willoughby followed by sandwiching a pair of 3-pointers around a jumper by LMU's Destiny Williams just inside the eight-minute mark and the Trojans built a 26-23 halftime advantage.

Anderson opened the second half with an 18-6 run to put the game out of reach, with the 5-foot-9 guard knocking down her third trey with 12:24 left to cap the outburst.

The Lady Railsplitters closed within 48-36 midway through the frame, but Willoughby answered with the first of five 3-pointers over the next six minutes and the Trojans held a 66-42 lead with less than three minutes on the clock.

Lincoln Memorial outshot AU on the afternoon, but the Trojans out-rebounded LMU, 34-31 and forced 23 Lady Railsplitter turnovers.

Willoughby led all scorers with 24 points on the strength of 8-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, while Alissa Diaz added 12 points and Abed tallied 10 points and dished out a game-high four assists. Sophomore forward Breonda Shannon narrowly missed her second double-double of the season with nine points and a game high 11 rebounds.
LMU junior Patrice Talley was the lone Lady Railsplitter to reach double figures, netting 12 points.

Anderson wraps up the regular season with a two-game road swing, starting with Wingate on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Cuddy Arena.