BREVARD, N.C. - Using a late first-half surge, the Anderson women's basketball team held off a late rally to open South Atlantic Conference action with a 73-67 win past Brevard Wednesday night at Boshamer Gymnasium.
Anderson (3-3, 1-0 SAC) built a double-digit second-half lead, then held off a furious charge by Brevard (4-2, 0-1 SAC) to claim its second straight win and three of its last four outings, while the Tornados dropped their second decision in three nights.
AU was coming off seven-day layoff, while Brevard is in the midst of a six-game homestand and was playing its third game in five days.
The Trojans opened cold from beyond the arc, misfiring on their first four shots from long range, but steadily built an early 13-8 lead behind their inside strength. Junior forward Breonda Shannon scored three of AU's first five points from the free throw line before picking up her second foul at the 14 minute mark, while forward Tilde Ahlin followed a Sierra Simpson layup with a pair of short jumpers.
With the Trojans holding an 11-7 edge, both teams suffered through a scoring drought of nearly three minutes before the Tornados' Anna Schlobohm snapped the dry spell with one of two free throws. Anderson freshman center Jaclyn Moore answered from close range to give AU the five-point cushion.
Brevard countered by scoring five unanswered points to tie the score at 13 apiece with 11:56 left in the first half, and neither team was able to build more than a two-point advantage, with the scoreboard featuring five ties, over the next seven minutes.
The Tornados' Holli Flippo connected on a 3-pointer at the 5:26 mark to give Brevard a 25-23 lead, but Anderson responded with a 12-2 run to close out the half, with junior Maci Siniard scoring five of her 11 first-half points during the decisive outburst, giving AU a 35-27 lead at intermission.
Anderson continued the run into the second half, opening the final 20 minutes with a 9-3 spurt to open a 44-30 cushion, as junior guard Alissa Diaz notched seven of her career-high 20 points in the first three minutes of the half.
Anderson took its largest lead, 54-38, with 12:17 remaining in the contest, but the homestanding Tornados refused to go away, mounting a rally behind a 25-7 run over the next eight minutes and took a brief 63-61 lead with 4:04 on the clock.
Simpson and Siniard dropped in back-to-back baskets, giving the Trojans a narrow 65-63 edge, with the lead changing hands twice inside the final two minutes.
The Trojans were a perfect eight-for-eight from the down the stretch - trailing by one with 44 seconds on the clock, Diaz connected on two free throws to give AU a 67-66 edge and after misfiring on the other end, Brevard was forced to foul. Shannon drained four from the charity stripe, while Simpson added two in the final moments.
Diaz, who has reached double figures in five straight games, shared game-high scoring honors with 20 points, while Siniard scored a season-high 13 points, with 11 coming in the first half. Shannon posted her second double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Simpson added a career-best 12 points and seven assists.
Flippo led the Tornados with 20 points off the bench, nine above her average, while Michaela Watkins added 14 points.
Anderson returns home for a brief one-game homestand on Saturday, as Mars Hill invades the Abney Center for another South Atlantic Conference matchup. Tip-off for the first game of the women's-men's doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m.
