NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Anderson men's basketball team saw five players reach double-figure scoring for the first time this season, but Newberry used red-hot shooting in the second half to rally past the Trojans, 76-67, in South Atlantic Conference action, Wednesday night at Eleazer Arena.
Anderson slipped to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the league with its third loss in four decisions, while Newberry improved to 6-3 and 2-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior guard Shawn Benard led the Trojans with 15 points and shared team-high honors with five rebounds, while handing out a season-high nine assists. Freshman guard Crosby James added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, with sophomore forward Satchel Hester coming off the bench to score 11 points in 19 minutes of action.
Freshman forward Mack Burgett chipped in 10 points, while junior guard Quin Nottingham netted 10 points and swiped three steals. Junior guard Alex Keel posted five points and pulled down five boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Trojans stifled Newberry's offense early in the contest, holding the Wolves scoreless until the 15:47 mark of the opening half, while the Black and Gold was 6-of-10 in the opening seven minutes of the contest.
Keel's trey with 14:52 on the clock capped an 11-3 run by the Trojans that gave AU a 16-5 advantage, but the Trojans then suffered a scoring drought of more than three minutes that enabled the Wolves to climb within six, before Benard's second 3-pointer of the night snapped the dry spell and ignited a 13-2 scoring outburst that built AU's lead to 29-12 with 5:16 remaining in the half.
Less than two minutes later, James drained a 3-pointer that boosted the Trojans' advantage to 34-15 – their largest of the game. AU equaled the 19-point margin twice inside the final three minutes of the frame, before taking a 39-23 edge into intermission.
Second Half
Newberry opened the second half with a 20-8 scoring surge to slice AU's advantage to four with more than 13 minutes on the clock, with James' traditional three-point point play momentarily slowing the Wolves' comeback.
But Newberry continued to whittle away at the Trojans' lead and use seven unanswered points to take its first lead of the game, at 55-52, with 8:56 on the clock. The Wolves steadily built a 69-61 lead and connected on 7-of-8 free throws inside the final 1:23 to stall any late comeback attempts by the Trojans.
STAT OF THE GAME
Newberry, which was averaging less than eight 3-pointers per game and shooting 33 percent from long range, connected on 11 3-pointers and shot 47.8 percent from beyond the arc on the night.
NOTABLES
• Despite the loss, the Trojan have won six of the last eight meetings with Newberry.
• AU has won 15 of the last 21 meetings with the Wolves.
• Newberry's 23 first-half points were the fewest surrendered by the Trojans in a half this season.
• AU's 28 second-half points were the fewest scored by the Black and Gold in a half this season.
• Shawn Benard and Quin Nottingham have each scored in double figures in all seven games.
• The Trojans have swiped at least six steals in six straight games.
• Quin Nottingham has made 13 straight free throws dating back to the Queens contest on Nov. 30.
UP NEXT
The Trojans wrap up the month of December with a season-high three-game homestand, beginning with Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. Tip-off versus the Bears at the Abney Athletic Center is scheduled for 4 p.m.
During halftime, AU Athletics will sponsor an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, with prizes being given to the winner.
