ANDERSON, S.C. - Led by junior forward Alexis Dillard's 13 points and eight rebounds underneath the basket, No. 19 Anderson University women's basketball claimed its 17th straight South Atlantic Conference regular-season victory with a 53-45 triumph over Mars Hill Tuesday evening at the Abney Athletic Center.
With the victory, the Trojans earn a victory in their SAC opener and improve to a perfect 2-0 overall record, while the Lions also opened league play and fall to 1-4 on the year. AU continues its dominance over Mars Hill, as head coach Jimmy Garrity is a perfect 6-0 against the Lions since the 2013-14 season.
Headlined by a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the free throw line, Dillard recorded her second straight contest with double-figure points with her game-high 13 points. The Taylors, S.C. native also totaled a game-high eight rebounds and a five-block performance which gives her 80 blocks for her collegiate career. Junior guard Nakia Young followed with 11 points and seven boards, while senior Jennifer Monroe totaled 10 points and seven rebounds.
"I'm really happy for our team," Garrity said. "It was a defensive battle and both teams were really good guarding in the half court. We did a really good job taking care of the ball in the second half and the difference was at the free throw line. I'm happy to move to 1-0 in conference play."
As a team, the Trojans finished the game 15-for-19 (78.9 percent) from the charity stripe, compared to MHU's total of 10-for-21 (47.6 percent). Defensively, the Black and Gold forced Mars Hill into 23 turnovers, as the game was decided in the lane with AU scoring 30 of its 53 points inside the paint.
Both teams struggled offensively in the opening half, as the Trojans held a 22-19 lead heading into the halftime break. Anderson maintained Mars Hill to just nine made field goal in the first half, as the Lions closed the opening stanza 1-of-5 from 3-point range and 0-for-6 from the free throw line.
The offense started to come together in the second half, as Anderson did not give up its lead for the final 20 minutes. In the closing moments, Dillard tallied 10 second-half points on 3-for-6 shooting and totaled four of her five blocks in the second half.
Mars Hill attempted a comeback in the final two minutes, as MHU's Genice Lane dropped in a lay-in at the 1:41 mark in the fourth quarter to cut Anderson's lead to 46-43. With AU seeing its smallest lead since the 9:11 mark, Monroe countered with her own lay-in to the put the game out of reach. Dillard came up with her final block of the game on the next possession which led to pair of Heather Jankowy free throws to cap off her seven points for the evening.
The victory gives Anderson its second straight 2-0 start after the 2014-15 team opened its campaign with three straight wins.
Anderson takes a break for the Thanksgiving holiday and returns to the Abney Center hardwood on Dec. 3 when its hosts nonconference opponent USC Aiken. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
