ANDERSON, S.C. – Back inside the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center after a grueling five-game road stretch, Anderson University (6-4) women's basketball put together a complete game to defeat nonconference opponent Savannah State (6-1), 84-75, on Saturday evening in the Electric City.
"It was so nice to finally play at home game and we really appreciate the fans that stayed after the boys game!," said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "I really thought we continued what we started this past Wednesday of sharing the ball and playing team defense."
"We got another great lift from the bench tonight and that's going to be key coming up in the next two home conference game," added Barbaree.
Battling the Tigers for the second time in just a week, Anderson gave themselves a much better chance of a positive outcome with a strong opening quarter, setting the tone for the game.
After ending the first quarter all knotted up, the Trojans outscored Savannah State 20-12 in the second quarter of play to take an eight-point lead heading into halftime, while extending its lead to 11 points after three periods of play.
Anderson placed four players in double-figure scoring with senior Nelliah Wilson coming off the bench to score a career-high 20 points. Wilson also ripped down seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Senior Brittney Stafford netted 19 points, draining 3-of-3 three-points baskets. Stafford went 8-of-12 from the field, dished out three assists, grabbed three rebounds in her gutsy effort. After missing the first half of action, sophomore Diamond McDowell made her presence known scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 16 minutes of play. Freshman Ashlyn Sheridan chipped in 12 points and collected seven rebounds on the evening.
Eleven different players scored at least one point and were able to handle the Tigers relentless press. The Black and Gold turned the ball over only 15 times, beating Savannah State down the floor to create either fast break points, or committed fouls by the Tigers.
Savannah State placed four players in double-figures with Nyla Allen scoring a team-high 18 points. Jashiyah Jones netted 15 points while Bria Gibbs and Mia Goolsby chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Trojans shot a season high 8-of-14 (57.1%) from behind the arc and shared the ball on 17 occasions, the second highest assist total for a game this season. AU's bench contributed 45 points on the evening.
Anderson remains home to host South Atlantic Conference foe Wingate on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 pm.
