DUE WEST, S.C. - With four in double figures, No. 22 Anderson University women's basketball claimed its first victory of the regular season and a coveted Beville Cup point with a 81-69 victory over archrival Erskine Saturday evening at Belk Arena.
The Trojans earned their 14th straight victory over the Flying Fleet in the longstanding rivalry and grabbed their second straight regular-season opener. Erskine, which moved to 0-4 on the young season, has not beaten AU since the 2005-06 season.
Junior guard Heather Jankowy led the Black and Gold with 17 points, while classmate Alexis Dillard posted her second double-double of her collegiate career with 16 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end. Guards Nakia Young and Madison Floyd added 15 points and 14 points, respectively, while senior Jennifer Monroe was a point shy of her own double-double with nine points and 10 boards.
As a team, Anderson closed the game shooting 42.4 percent (28-for-66) from the field, headlined by a 47.4 percent (9-for-19) mark from beyond the 3-point line. Jankowy shined behind the arc with five treys, marking a new career-high for the Walhalla, S.C. native. Floyd followed Jankowy with four 3-pointers, matching her career-high. Anderson totaled 59 rebounds for the contest, eclipsing the highest mark by a Jimmy Garrity-coach team of 58 set in regular-season opener against USC Aiken a season ago.
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight against a good, feisty Erskine team," Anderson head coach Jimmy Garrity said. "We did a great job on the boards, especially on the offensive glass, which gave us opportunities for second-chance points."
The Trojans saw early struggles facing a nine-point deficit at 20-11 with less than two minutes left in the opening quarter. The nine-point advantage was Erskine's largest led of the contest and headlined the first quarter with a 7-0 run. Following the lead, the Flying Fleet took a 22-16 lead into the second quarter.
The lead changed five times in the second quarter, but Anderson bounced back with the final three points in the second quarter to take a 37-34 lead into halftime. Erskine could not regain its lead back for the rest of the game, as AU was 14-for-31 (45.2 percent) for the final period, highlighted by a 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) mark from 3-point range. The Fleet tied the game at 42-42 with 6:31 left in the third quarter, but the Black and Gold responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Jankowy to take a six-point lead.
With a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Dillard scored the first four points of the period with back-to-back buckets in the paint. Anderson maintained its double-figure lead and added its first regular-season victory of the year.
With the victory, AU holds a 4-2 lead in the Beville Cup standings, as the Trojans look to retain the prestigious Cup for the fourth straight year.
"I'm happy that we were able to get AU a point in the Beville Cup standings," Garrity said. "That was one of our goals for the year and our players know the importance of this rivalry."
Anderson returns to action on Tuesday when it begins South Atlantic Conference play by welcoming Mars Hill to the Abney Athletic Center. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
