HICKORY, N.C. – The Anderson University men's basketball team opened its final two-game road swing of the regular season by shooting 66 percent from the field and downed Lenoir-Rhyne, 88-78, in South Atlantic Conference action, Saturday afternoon at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
Anderson improved to 13-13 overall and 11-9 in the conference with its third straight win and earned a split of the season series with the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne fell to 10-15 overall and 9-11 in the SAC with its third straight loss.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore guard Randall Shaw poured in a game-high 26 points, including 18 in the first half. Junior guard Maurice Howard tallied 17 points, a team-high five assists and six rebounds, while going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Lex Davis netted 14 points off the bench, while sophomore forward Jeremy Bouton chipped in nine points and five boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Neither team was able to build more than a two possession lead through the first 19:59, with freshman Chance Prandy's layup at the buzzer giving the Trojans a seven-point lead at the half.
The back-and-forth battle saw the Trojans turn a one-point, 35-34, deficit with 3:14 remaining in the opening half into a 42-35 halftime advantage by posting the final eight points of the half. Howard connected on his lone 3-pointer of the afternoon to ignite the surge, while Davis added a trey 34 seconds later and Prandy capped the run with his layup.
Second Half
The Trojans continued to apply the offensive pressure by opening the second half with a 16-7 outburst over the first 5:27 of the frame, while opening their largest lead of the game, at 56-42. Freshman Carlos Dotson sparked the outburst with five straight points for the Trojans, while sophomore guard Andrew Boynton fueled the run with five points of his own.
Lenoir-Rhyne got as close as nine on six occasions, and trimmed AU's lead to 86-78 with 27 seconds left in the contest but AU withstood the Bears' challenges and maintained a double-digit lead through most of the second half. Howard was 7-of-8 from the line inside the final minute.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The game featured five ties and 16 lead changes – all in the first half.
NOTABLES
• With the win, AU secured its first appearance in the SAC Tournament since the 2013-14 campaign.
• The Trojans' 66.0 shooting percentage was the second-highest of the season, just behind their 66.7 percent at Brevard on Jan. 4.
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in 13 of their last 15 games.
• The Trojans have outrebounded four of their last five opponents and five of their last seven.
• AU has outscored seven of its last eight opponents in the first half.
• The Trojans have equaled or surpassed their last eight opponents in free throw attempts.
• Maurice Howard is 45-of-53 (84.9%) from the charity stripe over the last five games.
UP NEXT
Anderson closes out its road schedule by traveling to seventh-ranked Lincoln Memorial, Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn., as the Trojans look to avenge an earlier, 94-77, setback to the Railsplitters.
