For the second time, AUTrojans.com is counting down Anderson University athletics' 25 most memorable games, matches and meets from the 2014-15 academic year. This season's countdown began on Monday, June 22 and will continue throughout the summer.

Be sure to check AUTrojans.com during the offseason to relive all the highlights of another successful year at Anderson.

Trojans Upset No. 3 Columbus State, 71-53; Advance to Regional Championship

March 14, 2015

GAFFNEY, S.C. - With sophomore Alexis Dillard's double-double 16 points and 13 rebounds, third-seeded Anderson University women's basketball pulled off the upset over No. 3 ranked and second-seeded Columbus State, 71-53, Saturday evening in the Round-of-32 of the NCAA Division II Tournament at the Timken Center on the campus of Limestone College.

With the victory, the Trojans advance to the regional final for the first time since the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and look to advance to the Elite Eight for the time in program history. The triumph improves AU's overall record to 27-4 on the season, while CSU closes its year with a 31-2 mark and snaps its 17-game winning streak.

The Trojans posted four players in double figures for the evening, as senior guard Sierra Simpson paced the team with 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds. Dillard's 16 points followed Simpson's mark, while junior Jasmine Franklin added 12 points and substitute guard Heather Jankowy notched 11 points. Jankowy drained two of AU's three 3-pointers for the game and finished the game 4-for-5 from the field.

Dillard's 13 rebounds was a game-high, as she recorded her first double-double of the season. For the contest, eight of the forward's boards came on the defensive end. Despite dropping the rebounding category, 41-39, AU pulled down 28 defensive rebounds compared to the Cougars' 24.

Columbus State was led by Daktronics All-District Player of the Year Michelle Mitchell with 23 points on 10-of-24 from the field. Mitchell was responsible for just under 43.4 percent of the team's scoring for the game, as CSU failed to place another player in double figures. On the glass, forward Carrie Washington led the Cougars in rebounds with 11.

The Cougars came into the game shooting just above 40 percent on the season, but the AU defense held the Peach Belt Conference champion to just 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the floor and a 3-for-20 mark from behind the three-point line.

The teams shot the ball poorly to open the game, as they combined for a 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) shooting performance from the field through the first eight minutes of the contest. After the score was even at 6-6, a foul shot by Franklin handed the Trojans a one-point advantage and a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The free throw began an eventual 6-0 run by AU, as it captured a 12-6 early lead.

Columbus State bounced back and brought the score within one at 14-13 when Mitchell scored on a fast-break lay-in. Despite the run, Anderson fired back by scoring the next eight points, headlined by back-to-back jumpers from Franklin, pushing the score to 22-13 with 3:31 left.

The second seed brought their deficit within four with less than a minute to play, but Franklin gave the Trojans confidence heading into the locker room as she beat the buzzer on a lay-in and set the halftime score at 27-21. For the half, the Black and Gold defense held CSU to just 1-for-9 from behind the 3-point line.

After Simpson knocked down a step-back jumper to open the second half, Mitchell scored the next four points inside the AU paint to send the score to 29-25. The four-point deficit marked the smallest AU lead of the period, as the Trojans answered with five straight points, highlighted by a traditional three-point play by Dillard.
Anderson took its first double-figure lead of the contest when Jankowy buried a 3-pointer from the wing to propel the Trojans to a 41-31 lead, as Jankowy scored on a lay-in on the next AU possession for five of her eight second-half points.

A trey from CSU's Dee Dee Deshazer brought Columbus State back to within six at 45-39 with 11:22 left, but the Black and Gold went on 10-3 run to give them another double-figure lead at 55-42. After Mitchell snapped the run with another fast-break lay-in, Jankowy put the game out of reach with her second 3-pointer from the wing. Dillard added two more points to increase the AU run and tallied a 16-point advantage with just less than five minutes to play.

The Trojans closed out the game with a 7-for-8 mark from the free throw line in the final 3:58 of the game, headlined by Simpson's 6-for-6 mark in the span. Freshman guard Jasmine Raynor recorded Anderson's final bucket with a jumper and set the final score at 71-53.

AUTrojans.com's Most Memorable Moments of 2014-15
25. Furtick Captures All-Tournament Honors at AU Invitational - Sept 9, 2014
24. Men's Cross Country Finishes Fifth at SAC Championships - Nov. 8, 2014
23. Merriman Earns All-Tournament Recognition at SAC Men's Golf Championships - April 21, 2015
22. Men's Basketball Edges Georgia College - Dec. 13, 2014
21. Women's Track and Field Finishes Fourth at SAC Championships - April 18, 2015
20. Baseball Claims 12-3 Win over Brevard in Opening Round of SAC Tournament - April 23, 2015
19. Volleyball Defeats Tusculum in Five Sets - Oct. 17, 2014
18. Women's Cross Country Finishes Third at SAC Championships - Nov. 8, 2014
17. Women's Basketball 68, Wingate 57 - Feb. 7, 2015
16. Women's Soccer 9, Coker 0 - Sept. 20, 2014
15. Baseball Slams Eight Home Runs in Doubleheader with Lenoir-Rhyne - April 11, 2015
14. Women's Tennis 5, Newberry 4 - April 16, 2015
13. Men's Soccer 3, Mount Olive 2 (OT) - Oct. 15, 2014
12. Men's Basketball Defeats Limestone in Final Seconds - Dec. 10, 2014
11. Women's Basketball 73, Carson-Newman 71 - Feb. 18, 2015
10. Men's Tennis 5, No. 29 Queens 4 - March 4, 2015
9. Men's Track and Field Finishes Sixth at SAC Championships; Burton Shines - April 18, 2015
8. Cooper Knocks Walk-Off Home against Brevard - April 3, 2015
7. Cailah Niles Hits Walk-off Grand Slam to Power Trojans Past North Greenville - Feb. 11, 2015
6. Men's Soccer 3, #18 Wingate 0 - Oct. 26, 2014
5. Volleyball Stuns Carson-Newman in Five Sets at SAC Tournament - Nov. 15, 2014
4. Sean Turner Wins Regional Championship - Feb. 28, 2015
3. Softball's Chelsea Jones Tosses Perfect Game - March 31, 2015
2. Women's Basketball 71, No. 3 Columbus State 53 - March 14, 2015