MARS HILL, N.C. – Sophomore Diamond McDowell poured in a career-high 26 points to help lead Anderson University women's basketball (16-12, 10-8 SAC) to its final regular season victory over South Atlantic Conference opponent Mars Hill (7-19, 3-15 SAC) on Saturday afternoon at Stanford Arena.
"Always good to get a road win in our conference," said head coach Jonathon Barbaree.
"I like where we are offensively, but we need to tighten up our defense as we move towards conference tournament time," stated Barbaree,
"Diamond was fantastic for us today on both ends," added Barbaree. "It was great to see her bust out with some scoring."
"Now, our attention will turn to tournament time," emphasized Barbaree.
Anderson led 44-36 after two periods of action. Senior Britney Bailey set the tone for the Trojans in the first quarter, scoring seven points, ripping down six rebounds and blocking three shots. McDowell also contributed five points and five rebounds in the opening stanza.
Mars Hill kept the game close in the third period, cutting the lead to six points on several occasions before carrying a seven-point deficit into the fourth period of action.
Anderson blew the game open in the fourth period, outscoring the Lions 29-19.
McDowell recorded her 11th double-double of the season, adding 16 rebounds to her 26 point total. The native of Asheboro, N.C., also dished out four assists and was credited with two steals. Senior Brittney Stafford netted 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Bailey finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Bailey has recorded a double-double in the last four contests and eight on the season. Senior Nelliah Wilson came off the bench to chip in 13 points and pull down six rebounds.
Mars Hill had four players place in double digit scoring with Janette Hanni scoring a team-high 23 points. Hannah Bar, Maggie Gillie and Naja Ngongba contributed 16, 15 and 11, respectively.
Anderson will travel to Carson-Newman to begin postseason SAC Tournament play on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 7 pm.
