ANDERSON, S.C. - A third-quarter drought proved costly, as league-leading and 11th-ranked Anderson fell, 54-51, to Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference women's basketball action Thursday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (12-2, 10-1 SAC) saw its 26-game conference win streak halted with its first SAC setback since falling to Catawba more than a year ago at the Abney Center, but still maintains a two-game lead in the conference standings. Carson-Newman improved to 13-4 overall and 7-4 in the SAC with its third straight win and sixth in its last seven outings.
Junior guard Heather Jankowy, the reigning conference player of
the week, led all players with 16 points, while junior forward
Alexis Dillard narrowly missed her third double-double of the
season with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior forward
Jennifer Monroe and junior guard Nakia Young each
grabbed 10 rebounds. Senior guard Madison Floyd handed out a
game-high four assists and scored eight points.
Carson-Newman freshman guard Kayla Newman paced the Lady Eagles
with 12 points, with junior guard Kailyn Brooks chipping in 11
points.
Carson-Newman scored the opening four points of the contest, while the Trojans misfired on their first three field goal attempts before Jankowy broke the ice for AU with a 3-pointer from the right side at the 7:48 mark. The contest was knotted three times in the first quarter, with the Trojans snapping a 9-9 tie with seven unanswered points as part of a 10-1 run with Jankowy netting five points during the outburst. AU maintained the margin through the second quarter and held a 29-22 halftime advantage.
Jankowy drained a 3-pointer to open the third quarter and following three points from the Lady Eagles, Floyd knocked down a jumper with 7:49 left in the frame to give AU a 34-25 lead. But the Trojans went more than seven minutes without scoring, as Carson-Newman reeled off a 17-2 run to claim a 42-36 lead at the end of the third quarter.
After falling behind, 49-37, three minutes into the fourth quarter, Dillard sparked a rally with a jumper and Monroe added four points to give AU a brief, 48-47 edge with 2:10 left. Carson-Newman scored on its next possession and had the ball with 40 seconds to play following a free throw from junior forward Kaitlyn Cupples. With 13 seconds remaining, redshirt-freshman guard Kayla Newman buried a three-pointer from the left corner to make it a 53-48 contest.
Floyd converted a triple at the other end and with 5.9 seconds
to play and Cupples went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe to make it a
54-51 contest and the Trojans were unable to convert a 3-pointer in
the final moments.
Anderson wraps up the first half of the SAC double-round robin
schedule when the Trojans visit Queens University of Charlotte,
with a date and time yet to be determined.
