BREVARD, N.C. -With five Trojans reaching double figures, Anderson
University women's basketball captured its second straight win and
season sweep with an 81-75 triumph over South Atlantic Conference
opponent Brevard Wednesday night at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
With the Trojan victory and losses by Mars Hill and Newberry earlier in the evening, the Trojans claim their second straight regular season title, moving to 16-3 in the SAC and 18-4 overall.
Senior guard Madison Floyd netted a team-high 18 points, including four made 3-pointers. Front-court mate Heather Jankowy followed suit by draining four 3-point baskets of her own, tallying 14 points. Forward Jennifer Monroe scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Monroe has now scored in double figures in seven straight games and 16 times on the season. Senior Katie Davis came off the bench to total 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the both the floor and the free throw line while Alexis Dillard added 10 points and pulled down eight boards.
Brevard (1-22, 0-19 SAC) was led by Hadara Bannister with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and connecting on 2- of-3 3-point baskets. Junior Madison Lenox played all 40 minutes tallying 19 points while grabbing five rebounds. Tornado teammates Katie Williams and Lynsey Crisp scored 10 apiece for Brevard.
Anderson's Dillard scored the game's opening basket on a lay-up giving the Trojans their first lead of the contest. The Black and Gold led twice by as many as 10 in the first quarter with the first being on a made 3-point basket by Floyd. Brevard cut the lead to eight with 1:53 to go in the first quarter. After pushing the lead back to 10 on a short jumper by Davis with 58 seconds left in the period, Brevard scored on a lay-up to cut it back to eight, 21-13 to end the quarter.
The Trojans were outscored 19-10 in the second quarter making only four field goals while turning the ball over eight times. Anderson's Cassie Ketchum made a jumper with 9:36 on the clock in the second quarter with Anderson not scoring for the next 4:02. The Tornado's went on a 9-0 during that time cutting the lead to 24-22. Brevard then took advantage of the Trojans' three straight turnovers on as many possessions, taking a two point lead, 28-26. Anderson finally found the basket hitting on its next three trips to minimize the damage. Brevard ended the first half making three foul shots, taking a 32-31 half-time lead.
The Trojans settled into the third quarter enjoying their largest lead, 49-38 on a jumper by Floyd. Brevard would close the gap to six but Davis scored the last four points of the third quarter to push the lead to 10.
"I challenged our players at halftime and was proud of the way we came out and played in the third quarter." said Anderson head coach Jimmy Garrity. "I thought we did a good job getting the shots we wanted within our offense and I was pleased with the way we knocked down shots." added Garrity
The fourth quarter saw the Trojans gain their largest lead of the game, 67-50, with 6:17 to play. However, a determined Tornado squad would not go away pulling the score twice within four, once at the 2:05 mark and again with 1:05 to play. Anderson could not be shaken answering back with a 3-point basket by Jankowy while sealing the deal at the foul line with teammate Floyd. The guards teamed up making 4 of 4 foul shots during the last 20 seconds of the contest.
"I'm really happy for our players to come away with a win here. Brevard is a tough place to play and a tough matchup for us." noted Garrity.
The Black and Gold return home Saturday for their Senior Day, welcoming SAC opponent Lenoir-Rhyne. Tip-off from the Abney Center is set for 2 p.m.
