JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman shot a torrid 69.6 percent from the field, including a blistering 80 percent in the second half en route to defeating Anderson, 100-77, in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action, Wednesday night at Holt Fieldhouse.
Anderson (7-10, 5-6 SAC) wrapped up the first half of its double round-robin conference schedule with its fourth consecutive setback, while Carson-Newman (11-6, 8-3 SAC) won its third straight decision and fifth in six outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The contest featured the top three leading scorers in the conference, with Anderson's Randall Shaw – the league's leading scorer – pouring in a team-high 26 points. Sophomore forward Jeremy Bouton added a career-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Shawn Benard chipped in 10 points.
Carson-Newman junior Charles Clark, who entered the contest as the SAC's second-leading scorer, led all plyers with 27 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Teammate Shaun Jones also posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards. Freshman Cameron Holmes netted 11 points for the Eagles, while senior Sawyer Williams and Parker Role tallied 10 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
There were nine ties and 10 lead changes in the frantic opening 20 minutes, with the Trojans easing out to their largest lead of the contest, at 7-4, with Shaw and Bouton leading AU's early surge.
But Carson-Newman quickly countered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Malik Abraham and Zack Pangallo to claim a 10-7 edge with 15:09 left in the first half.
Following a layup from Howard that trimmed the deficit to one, the Eagles claimed a 13-9 advantage on Pangallo's second straight trey with 14:08 on the clock. Shaw answered with four straight points to knot score for second time at 13 apiece before the Eagles connected on their fourth straight 3-pointer to take a 16-13 edge. Bouton responded with his fifth point of night to get the Trojans even at 16-16 and neither team was able to build more than two-point cushion until Carson-Newman posted a 15-6 run and AU went just 1-for-9 from the field over the final 6:09 of the half, with the Eagles taking a 45-36 lead at the break.
Second Half
Carson-Newman built a double-digit lead on the first two baskets of the second half and the Trojans were unable to get any closer than eight the rest of the way.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans were one 3-pointer away from connecting on 10 treys for the third straight game.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in two straight games and five of their last six games.
• AU's 16 assists marked the Trojans' third-highest total of the season.
UP NEXT
The Trojans open the second half of the SAC slate by playing host to No. 3 Queens University of Charlotte, Saturday, then square off against Mars Hill, Wednesday night. Tip-off versus the Royals is set for 4 p.m. at the Abney Center.
