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Outside Shooting Propels Trojans Past UNC Pembroke

Outside Shooting Propels Trojans Past UNC Pembroke

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Anderson unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers midway through the second half and wrapped up its five-game homestand by defeating UNC Pembroke, 107-90, in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center. Anderson (5-1), which had its season-opening four-game win streak snapped last Saturday, jumped back into the win column behind 64.7 percent shooting (11-of-17) from beyond the arc, while handing the Braves (3-5) their third consecutive setback. In a contest that saw AU lead for the first 23 minutes, then featured three ties and eight lead changes over the next five minutes of action, the Trojans' Nick Trull dropped in an acrobatic left-handed layup in traffic that gave Anderson a 56-55 lead that the Trojans would not surrender. Clinging to a 60-57 edge at the 11:18 mark, senior guard Tony Anderson drained a 3-pointer from the left side, igniting a flurry of treys with three other Trojans each nailing a triple over the next three minutes and Anderson book-ending the spurt with another 3 to give AU a 79-65 cushion with 8:06 showing on the clock. The Braves trimmed Anderson's lead to just seven with a minute remaining, but the Trojans hit clutch free throws (7-of-10) at the stripe inside the final minute to seal the win. "We are hard to beat when we make shots," Anderson head coach Jason Taylor. "And we made them tonight, but we didn't take of the ball and we still have to get better defensively. I thought our guards played well." Neither team had faced an opponent in a week and the layoff showed early in the game, with the two squads combining for eight turnovers and five missed shots to open the contest. But the Anderson offense got on track first, as AU exploded on a 17-3 run midway through the opening frame and opened the first of three 16-point leads at the 9:23 mark. Leading by just a bucket, 13-11, guards Kevis Cornwell and Oskars Ernstein combined for seven unanswered points to boost the Trojans' advantage to nine. Following a UNC Pembroke score on the other end, Taylor Shugart went to work inside for AU, scoring two consecutive baskets and after the Braves' Marcus Heath hit one of two from the line, Trull nailed a trey from the right side, giving Anderson a 30-14 cushion. But the Braves refused to go away and cut the AU lead to five at the half, with the Trojans committing five of their 16 turnovers in the final four minutes. UNC Pembroke continued its charge into the second half, connecting on four of its first seven shots and taking its first lead of the game, 47-46, with 17:08 left in the game. The lead then changed hands seven more times before Trull dropped in the layup. Junior guard Brandon Young scored his 1, 000th career point on a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner with 16:27 left in the first half, becoming just the fourth player in the history of Anderson University men's basketball to reach the milestone. The 6-foot-2 playmaker finished the game with a team-best 23 points and dished out a game-high five assists. Young also hit 9-of-10 free throws on the night. Sophomore Taylor Shugart connected on his first seven fields goals en route to recording a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Tony Anderson added 21 points and four assists, while Nick Trull tossed in 20 points. Junior guard Kevis Cornwell netted 10 points and also recorded four assists. "Taylor [Shugart] played well. We need to keep going to him," Taylor added. "Oskars [Ernsteins] gave us a nice spark off the bench with nine points and Nick [Trull] shot the ball well." The Braves' Brandon Thomas led all scorers with 24 points on the afternoon. The Trojans get back on the court Tuesday night when they pay a visit to North Georgia College and State University. Tip-off versus the Saints in Dahlonega is scheduled for 7 p.m. Game Stats

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