ANDERSON, S.C. – After trailing by four with 98 seconds remaining, the Anderson men's basketball team rallied to force overtime and opened a two-game South Atlantic Conference homestand by topping Coker, 98-91, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (10-12, 8-8 SAC) earned a sweep of the season series with the Cobras and claimed its third win in four games, while Coker fell to 7-15 overall and 4-12 in conference play by dropping its fifth decision in six outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Trojans edged Coker by three on the boards and outscored the visitors, 50-38 in the paint.
Sophomore guard Shawn Benard led all scorers and equaled his career high with 25 points, including 18 in the second half. He was 8-of-15 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw stripe. Guard Maurice Howard added a season-high 22 points, including 10 in the first half and 10 in overtime. The junior from Saluda, S.C., was a perfect 14-of-14 from the charity stripe and added three assists, while equaling his career high with five steals. Freshman center Carlos Dotson posted his eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while going 7-of-9 from the field. Sophomore forward Jeremy Bouton netted 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The opening half featured four ties in the opening 4:21, with Dotson muscling in a short jumper to give the Trojans their first lead, at 8-6, since the game's opening basket. But the Trojans misfired on their next three field goal attempts and committed a turnover, enabling the Cobras to edge out to a 13-8 advantage with 13:35 remaining in the first half.
Dotson scored his seventh point of the opening seven minutes to slow the Cobras, while Christian Jeffords drained a 3-pointer and Bouton followed with a layup to cap a 7-0 spurt by the Trojans, with Coker's Demarco Jackson tying the score for the sixth time at 15 apiece with a dunk.
Less than a minute later, Bouton ignited a 15-1 outburst that gave AU its largest lead of the contest, 31-16, at the 6:36 mark. The Cobras whittled the AU advantage to eight points on three occasions and the Trojans went to intermission holding a 42-34 lead.
Second Half
The Trojans held off each surge by the Cobras with multiple runs of their own, until Coker junior forward Nathan Lemke nailed a 3-pointer to give the visitors a 63-61 lead – their first since the 12:59 mark of the first half.
The lead changed hands six times over the next 1:28 with Coker snapping a 72-72 score with seven unanswered points and taking its largest lead with more than four minutes remaining. But the Cobras would score just three more points in regulation, while the Trojans chipped away at the deficit. Benard and Lex Davis combined to score AU's final eight points, with Davis knotting the score at 82 apiece on a driving layup from the left side with 33 seconds on the clock.
After Coker called a timeout with 27.3 seconds left, the Trojan defense forced a turnover with 10.2 ticks remaining but was unable to convert the game-winner at the buzzer.
Overtime
Lemke opened the scoring in the extra frame for Coker, but Benard answered with four straight for the Trojans, then the veteran Howard took over by scoring AU's final 10 points, including six clutch free throws in the final 32 seconds.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans were 13-of-13 from the free throw line in the second half. AU attempted a season-high 44 free throws and made a season-high 33 free throws. That's the most made free throws since the Trojans connected on 37 in a 100-89 SAC Tournament win over Coker on March 8, 2014 and equaled the 44 free throws attempted against Newberry in a two-overtime, 105-95, win over the Wolves on Jan. 9, 2013.
NOTABLES
• After playing just one overtime contest since the 2013-14 season, this afternoon's game marked AU's second overtime game in two weeks.
• The Trojans connected on a season-low three 3-pointers and a shot a season-low 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in nine of their last 11 games.
• The Trojans have outscored their last four opponents in the first half.
UP NEXT
The Trojans wrap up the two-game conference homestand when Carson-Newman invades the Abney Athletic Center, Wednesday night. Carson-Newman handed the Trojans their most lopsided defeat of the season, 100-77, in Jefferson City in mid-January Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
