NEWBERRY, S.C. - Shooting over 50 percent for the second half, No. 16/24 Anderson University women's basketball held off South Atlantic Conference rival Newberry, 68-61, to remain perfect on the season Saturday afternoon at Eleazer Arena.
The win marks the Trojans' 22nd straight regular-season victory and extends AU's streak to 20 regular-season wins over SAC opponents. For this season, Anderson improves to a perfect 6-0 record and jumps to 4-0 in conference play, while tallying its 11 straight regular-season road win, dating back to last season. On the opposite end, the Wolves move under .500 for the year with the setback, dropping to 4-5, while they see their first loss in a conference game and fall to 3-1.
The Trojans were 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) for the final 20 minutes in the game, as they closed the contest shooting their second-highest percentage of the season at 42.6 percent (23-for-54). Three AU players found double figures with senior forward Jennifer Monroe narrowly missing her second double-double of the year with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. The forward finished 8-for-11 from the field, while seven of her nine boards were on the offensive end.
Following Monroe was junior guard Heather Jankowy with 17 points, which matches her season-high. Jankowy totaled four of AU's six 3-pointers for the day while totaling a 5-for-6 mark from the free-throw line. Junior forward Alexis Dillard added 10 points and eight rebounds underneath the basket, as the junior also blocked a season-high six shots for the game. The six-block effort puts her one denial away from 90 for her collegiate career and seven blocks away from tying Stephanie Ponds for third place in program's all-time blocks list.
In addition to Dillard's defensive effort, AU forced 19 turnovers and held the Wolves to 37.5 percent (21-for-56) shooting on the day. Anderson swiped 10 total steals, marking the first time the Black and Gold has recorded double-figure steals for a game this season. The visitors also grabbed 23 defensive rebounds, maintaining the home side to just four second-chance points.
"This was a great team win on the road against a very good Newberry team," Anderson head coach Jimmy Garrity said. "Our defensive effort was outstanding again today and we did a great job of guarding their sets. Down the stretch, we did an excellent job making plays and converting baskets."
After an unusual start to the game where Dillard committed an early foul on the tip-off, the Trojans bounced back after the miscue and scored the first four points of the first quarter to force an early Newberry timeout. Senior Madison Floyd shifted the momentum during the early run with her only 3-pointer of the game in front of the Wolves' bench.
Despite the scoring streak, Newberry answered by shooting 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from the field in the period and took a 15-13 lead into the second quarter. Seeing the Wolves shot over 50 percent, the Trojans struggled from the field after the Floyd trey and finished the quarter shooting 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from the field.
In the second quarter, the Anderson's offense came alive by shooting 5-for-10 from the field and out-scoring the Wolves, 14-8, in the second 10 minutes. Monroe and guard Nakia Young both tallied five points apiece for the quarter, while the Trojans scored eight of their 14 second-quarter points inside the paint. Monroe dropped in a lay-in with 40 seconds remaining and set the halftime score at 27-23.
The third quarter saw the home side pull within five points at 34-29 when freshman Meg Essex made a pair of free throws at the six-minute mark. Following the free throws, Anderson responded with six straight points, beginning with a trey from Jankowy. With the scoring streak, AU controlled with its first double-figure lead at 40-29. Despite the lead, Newberry scored the final six points in the quarter to open the final quarter with a five-point deficit at 44-39.
The teams traded baskets to open the final 10 minutes, but Anderson's fourth-quarter shooting percent of 80 percent (8-for-10) proved to be the difference. Jankowy totaled nine fourth-quarter points, headlined by a pair of 3-pointers, while Dillard tallied seven points in quarter to lead AU past Newberry for its third-straight regular-season victory over its in-state rival. Anderson finished the final two minutes shooting 4-for-6 from the free-throw line to put the game out of reach.
Essex led the Wolves with a game-high 23 points, including nine from the free-throw line, while senior Samantha Creed added 13 points with three 3-pointers.
The Trojans look to remain perfect on the year when they come back home on Wednesday to square off against Coker for a SAC tilt. Tip-off from the Abney Athletic Center is set for 6 p.m.
