CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Anderson sophomore forward Jeremy Bouton connected on one of two free throws with two seconds on the clock to propel the Anderson men's basketball team to a 77-76 victory past Armstrong State on the final day of the Embassy Suites South Atlantic Conference-Peach Belt Conference Challenge, Saturday afternoon at Queens' Curry Arena.
With the win the Trojans evened their record at 1-1 on the early season and defeated the Pirates for the second time in as many seasons. Armstrong State fell to 0-2 on the season after losing to the host Royals Friday night.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore guard Randall Shaw came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points, while freshman center Carlos Dotson posted his second double-double in as many games with 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Junior center Lester Rochez notched his first double-double in the Black and Gold with 13 points and 11 boards. Junior guard Warren Vinson tossed in 10 points, while junior guard Maurice Howard scored eight points and dished out a game-high five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The opening half featured five ties but just one lead change, as Dotson opened the scoring with a layup less than a minute into the contest. Anderson eased out to an 21-13 advantage on a pair of free throws from Rochez midway through the frame, but the Pirates remained in striking distance and used a 9-3 surge late in the half to turn a 27-23 AU lead into a two-point edge – their first lead of the game, with 3:01 remaining in the half. The Trojans went 1-for-3 from the field and committed three turnovers inside the final three minutes, as Armstrong State took a 38-34 lead into halftime.
Second Half
Dotson also opened the second-half scoring by dropping in a layup and Howard followed by draining his first trey of the afternoon, as the Trojans reclaimed a narrow advantage. Following a layup by the Pirate's Denzel Council, Shaw scored 11 of his 15 second-half over the next 6:22 to boost the AU lead to double figures (60-50) midway through the half. Howard connected on his second 3-pointer with 9:05 on the clock to give the Trojans a 13-point cushion -their largest lead of the game.
Following a 3-pointer by Vinson at the 5:23 mark that kept the AU advantage in double figures at 68-58, the Pirates outscored AU 18-8, with Jamison Jeffers' two free throws with nine seconds left knotting the score at 76 apiece. Following a 30-second timeout by the Trojans, Armstrong sent Bouton to the free throw line. The sophomore from Orlando, Fla. had misfired on his only other attempt of the afternoon and was unable to connect with his first attempt, but drained the next one to provide the winning margin.
Council's last-second shot at the buzzer was off the mark and the Trojans escaped with their first win of the season.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans had four players reach double figures in the scoring column.
NOTABLES
• Today's game marked the second straight contest that the Trojans held a rebounding advantage.
• The Trojans have outscored their opponents, 80-73, in the second half.
• Anderson converted 14 Armstrong turnovers into 20 points.
• The Trojans outscored Armstrong, 38-28, in the paint.
UP NEXT
The Trojans are slated to open their home schedule Wednesday when archrival Erskine invades the Abney Athletic Center for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
