ANDERSON, S.C. - Led by senior Jennifer Monroe's second double-double in three games, Anderson University women's basketball tallied its seventh straight victory with a 87-57 rout of South Atlantic Conference foe Coker in a battle for first place in the league standings Wednesday evening at the Abney Athletic Center.
With the victory, the Trojans extend their longest winning streak to open a season since becoming a four-year institution and add their 23rd straight regular-season victory, dating back to last season. AU (7-0, 5-0 SAC) remains as the last unbeaten team in the conference and halts the Cobras' four-game winning streak. Coker (5-5, 4-1 SAC) has not beaten the Black and Gold since the 2013-14 season.
Monroe poured in a game-high 21 points on 10-of-15 from the floor, while grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds to pace the team. The 21 points mark Monroe's highest scoring total of the season, as she claimed her second 20-point game for her collegiate career (Jan. 28, 2015 - Carson-Newman). Following the senior was junior guard Heather Jankowy with her fourth 17-point game this season, while junior Alexis Dillard added 10 points. On the defensive end, Dillard posted a pair of blocks to eclipse the 90-block mark for her career.
Led by Monroe's 11 rebounds, Anderson totaled 49 rebounds for the contest, including 33 on the defensive end, limiting the Cobras to 12 second-chance points. While underneath the basket, the Black and Gold scored 46 of their 87 points inside the lane and 25 points off of 17 Coker turnovers.
As a team, the Trojans shot over 50 percent from the field for the first time this season, tallying a 55.2 percent (37-for-67) mark. Head Coach Jimmy Garrity saw 11 Trojans in the scoring column, as Garrity totaled his 50th victory since arriving at Anderson before the 2013-14 season.
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight," Garrity said. "Coker is a really good team that plays extremely hard. We did an excellent job on both ends of the floor and our offensive execution was very efficient and probably the best of the season. Defensively, we showed a lot of toughness and guarded their set really well. With the exception of giving up too many offensive rebounds, we did a really good job on the glass."
Coker closed the contest with 17 offensive rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass from standout Jazz Green, who matched Monroe's double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. With teammate Terrika Foster dropping in 12 points, the Cobra duo combined for just over 47.3 percent of the team's scoring for the evening.
Anderson started the contest strongly by pushing out a 10-1 run over the first three minutes in the game. Monroe headlined the spurt with a pair of jumpers, while Dillard capped off the run with a lay-in that forced a Coker timeout. Despite an 11-point advantage with less than a minute to play, Green drained a deep 3-pointer from the wing at the buzzer to set a 22-14 scoreline heading into the second quarter.
The Trojans continued to attack in the next 10 minutes, as the visitors came within five, twice, in the quarter, but the Black and Gold's offense proved to be the difference. With the score at 28-23, Jankowy sank a 3-pointer from the corner and senior Madison Floyd followed with a pair of free throws for two of her seven points on the evening to give the home side another 10-point lead at 33-23.
Coker cut the AU lead to six points with less than three minutes to play, but the Trojans answered with the quarter's final six points and went into the halftime break with a 39-27 lead. Monroe capped off the run with a pair of lay-ins for four of her 14 first-half points.
After the break, Anderson out-scored the Cobras 25-12 in the third quarter and took its first 20-point lead when Floyd buried a trey from the wing to force Coker into another timeout. The Trojans pulled away and took their largest lead of the game at 25 (64-39) when freshman Tamia Eatmon converted a traditional three-point play with less than a second to play in the third period.
Monroe closed the game with six fourth-quarter points to pace the Black and Gold, as AU cruised to the conference victory, marking its 21st straight regular-season win over a SAC opponent.
"As we prepared to play this game, we put a huge emphasis on getting the ball inside and getting points in the paint," Garrity said. "Our guards did an excellent job of making good passes into the post and our post players did an excellent job of being strong with the ball and making plays in the paint."
Anderson looks to continue its winning streak on Saturday when it hits the road for the final time in 2015, as it travels to Catawba for a SAC contest. Tip-off at Goodman Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m.
