DURANGO, Colo. - After beginning the regular season with a convincing victory over archrival Erskine on Saturday, Anderson University women's basketball dropped a spot and fell into a tie with Francis Marion for sixth in the Southeast Region Media Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA, announced by the regional committee on Monday.
The Trojans are one of eight teams in the top-10 with unblemished records on the young season, but the only team that has not played at least three games. After Catawba and Wingate both dropped out of the poll this week, AU and Carson-Newman, which fended off nationally-ranked Columbus State on Saturday, are the only South Atlantic Conference representation in the top-10. Tusculum received four votes and just missed tying for the 10th spot.
Limestone continues to holds the top spot in this week's poll following its 62-55 victory over Mars Hill on Saturday, as the Lions link up with the Trojans on Tuesday. C-N was placed second after its impressive win over Columbus State, while Armstrong State earned the third spot following three triumphs last week. Clayton State and North Georgia drew even for the fourth spot.
Similar to Anderson, Francis Marion knocked off a Division I opponent with a 66-63 win over UNC Greensboro last week and shot up the rankings after being unranked last week. Columbus State fell to No. 8, while Peach Belt Conference teams Lander and Georgia Southwestern round out the poll, respectively.
TC was joined by USC Aiken and UNC Pembroke as teams receiving votes and narrowly missing the top-10 this week.
After facing a first-quarter deficit against Erskine on Saturday, Anderson shot 45.2 percent (14-for-31) from the field, headlined by a 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) mark from 3-point range to outpace the Flying Fleet to an 81-69 win. The 81 points were the most scored by the Black and Gold since January of last season, as they look to match last season's start to the year when they captured wins in their first three games.
The Women's Basketball Division II Media Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA, is in its second year of existence. The regional poll is released every Monday, followed by the national poll every Tuesday. Each region has six representatives that comprise the regional poll. The national poll has 16 voters - 2 from each region.
AU returns to the hardwood on Tuesday when it welcomes Mars Hill for its SAC opener and a rematch of the SAC Championship quarterfinals. Tip-off at the Abney Athletic Center is set for 6 p.m.
