ANDERSON, S.C. - A balanced offensive attack and high-scoring third quarter lifted No. 19 Anderson to a 72-52 win past Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference women's hoops action Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson improved to 15-3 overall and 13-2 in the conference by claiming its third straight win and sweeping the season series with the Pioneers. Tusculum lost for the first time in four outings and fell to 10-8 overall and 8-7 in league play.
The Trojans shot 50 percent for the game - marking their third-highest accuracy of the campaign - and were 15-of-26 (57.7%) from the field in the second half. AU also won the rebounding battle, 37-29, and outscored Tusculum, 28-18, in the paint. The two teams combined for 47 turnovers, which resulted in 43 points scored.
"I was really proud of our effort tonight against a really good Tusculum team," said Anderson head coach Jimmy Garrity. "In the second half our defense was very good and offensively we started to get some shots to fall from the outside, which opened up opportunities for our post players on the inside. To score 29 points in the third quarter and shoot 57 percent in the second half was the difference in the game."
Junior guard Heather Jankowy shared game-high scoring honors
with 18 points, including 15 in the decisive second half. Senior
forward Jennifer Monroe also netted 18 points and grabbed six
rebounds. Senior guard Madison Floyd posted 11 points, while junior
forward Alexis Dillard tallied eight points, eight rebounds and
three assists.
With AU trailing, 7-6, at the 4:02 mark of the opening quarter, the
Trojans went on a 13-2 scoring outburst to open a double-digit lead
with 7:58 left in the second quarter. Monroe and Dillard each
chipped in four points during the run.
The Trojans took their largest lead of the first half, 27-12, when Jankowy sank one of her four treys on the night with more than five minutes remaining in the second quarter, while the Pioneers closed within eight at intermission.
Jankowy knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter, sparking a 14-3 run and the guard capped the surge with a rare four-point play to build AU's cushion to 43-24 with 6:30 left in the third quarter. The Trojans led by as many as 29 points in the second half after erupting for 29 points in the third quarter.
The Trojans open a two-game road swing at Coker on Saturday.
Tip-off versus the Cobras in Hartsville, S.C. is scheduled for 2
p.m.
