ANDERSON, S.C. –After riding an emotional high from last week's huge wins over two regionally ranked South Atlantic Conference teams, the No. 2 seeded Anderson University women's basketball team stumbled in the opening round of the SAC Tournament falling to No. 7 seed Catawba; 70-64 Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
With the loss, Anderson slides to 21-6 overall while Catawba improves to 16-12 overall. The Indians advance to the semifinal round to face No. 3 seeded Wingate which won over Lenoir-Rhyne, 56-46.
The Trojans placed three players in double-digits with freshman Alexy Mollenhauer's team-high 17 points and eight rebounds. Seniors Heather Jankowy dropped in 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists while senior Jasmine Franklin chipped in 10 points. On the defensive end, Franklin added four rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal for Anderson.
Capping off the scoring for the Black and Gold was senior Nakia Young (7), freshman Madison Baggett (6), senior Bailey Sims (5), junior Kaylee Koerperich (4) and sophomore Erika Martin (2).
Catawba had four double-digits scorers with Terri Rogers leading the Indians with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Marshauna Butler scored 15 points while Serena Brown and Bri Johnson chipped in 12 for the Indians.
Anderson dominated the first quarter of play outscoring the Indians 24-12. However, Catawba flipped the switch outscoring the Trojans 26-13 to take the half-time lead 38-37.
The second half was a low scoring affair with Catawba winning both the third and fourth periods by three and two points, respectively. The Black and Gold never stopped fighting eventually tying the game at 58-58 with 5:31 remaining in the game, after being down as much as seven.
Anderson took the lead for the final time on a layup by Baggett, 60-59, with 4:25 remaining. Catawba hit a couple of key jumpers while hitting 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to claim the 70-64 victory.
Head Coach Jonathon Barbaree's Thoughts: "Obviously disappointed with the loss. We gave ourselves a chance down the stretch, because we fought hard as a team. The ball just didn't bounce our way. I am proud of this team and how hard they played. Now we sit and wait. I know this team deserves a shot at regionals, especially after last week's two wins over top 25 teams which included a season sweep of one region team and a split with another."
EXTRA DRIBBLE
-Tonight's loss was just the second loss all season (16-2) when outrebounding the opponent.
-The last time the Trojans did not at least reach the SAC semifinals was the 2011-12 season.
-Four of Anderson's six loses came on a Wednesday night (7-4).
UP NEXT
Anderson is currently ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Southeast Regional Rankings. The Trojans will sit and wait in anticipation of an at-large bid which will be announced on Sunday evening at 10 p.m.