AIKEN, S.C. - The Anderson University women's basketball trimmed a 21-point first-half deficit to just two late in the game, but fell, 71-63, as 18TH-ranked USC Aiken held off the Trojans in non-conference action Monday night at the Convocation Center.
Anderson (5-4) had its win streak stopped at four, while USC Aiken (7-1) won its sixth straight and improved to 3-0 all-time versus the Trojans.
The Pacers took a lead they would not relinquish with a pair of free throws from junior guard Daniella Tarailo less than three minutes into the contest and pushed out to their largest lead of the game, 29-8, with 7:32 remaining in the first half.
But the Trojans stormed back, closing the half on a 21-6 run to climb back within six, at 35-29 at halftime.
Freshman guard Lesley Woods sparked the rally with a pair of free throws, while five different Trojans scored during the comeback. Sophomore guard Emily Willoughby connected on two of her game-high five 3-pointers and junior Alissa Diaz chipped in four points.
USC Aiken edged back to a nine-point lead early in the second half, but AU stayed within striking distance, trimming the deficit to just two on two occasions, the final time at 58-56 with just 5:56 on the clock when junior Amanda Parris drained a 3-pointer.
But the Trojans were unable to get any closer, as the Pacers capitalized on three untimely miscues and edged back to a double-digit lead with just 1:15 remaining.
Willoughby led all scorers with 15 points on the strength of 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior Alissa Diaz reached double figures in the seventh of the last eight games, posting 12 points, while freshman guard Sierra Simpson added 10 points and shared game-high assist honors with five. She also recorded six rebounds. Junior forward Breonda Shannon collected a game-high eight rebounds on the night.
Senior forward Hannah DeGraffinreed led four Pacers in double figures with 11 points, four assists, three steals and three rebounds and also blocked a shot.
The Trojans play host to the Pacers on Saturday afternoon at the Abney Center, with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. The Trojans then take a 17-day layoff for the Christmas break before embarking on a three-game SAC road swing on Jan. 4.
