ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson women's basketball (7-1) picked up its defensive intensity in the fourth period of action to help hold off nonconference opponent Belmont Abbey (5-4) defeating the Crusaders, 71-63, on Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
"Always great to get a win from a hard-fought game, said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "Especially when practices have been limited due to final exams."
"We had some good moments on offense at some key times tonight with some timely plays from Ashlyn and Nelly," stated Barbaree.
"Defensively, after not getting enough stops in the second and third periods, I thought we made some good adjustments in the last five minutes, keyed by the defense of Zamiya," said Barbaree.
"We'll hit the books again tomorrow for more exams Monday and Tuesday and then travel to play top ranked Catawba on Wednesday," added Barbaree.
Anderson won the opening quarter, 22-13, before getting outscored over the next two periods, 32-26, cutting into the Trojans lead heading into the final period, 48-45.
The Trojans made some adjustments on defense and found some rhythm on offense to create some separation from the pesky Crusaders. After building a nine-point lead with 5:19 remaining, Belmont Abbey could not get any closer than four-points. Anderson made 9-of-10 foul shots down the stretch to seal the victory.
Graduate Brittany Stafford led Anderson with a team-high 17 points while dishing out four assists. Sophomore Ashlyn Sheridan netted 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds with seniors Zamiya Passmore and Nelliah Wilson chipping in 12 points. Wilson equaled her career-high with 14 rebounds recording her third double-double of the season. Junior Diamond McDowell played limited minutes, due to foul trouble, scored six points and pulled down six rebounds in just 21 minutes of action. Freshan Peytyn Oliver drained 2-of-3 from behind the arc to contribute six points for the Black and Gold.
Belmont Abbey was led by Abigail Crain scoring a game-high 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting. Crain also pulled in five rebounds and dished out two assists.
Anderson returns to conference action when it travels to Catawba on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
