HICKORY, N.C. – In a contest that featured a dozen lead changes, including three times inside the final three minutes, the Anderson men's basketball team opened up a two-game South Atlantic Conference road swing by suffering their first setback in three weeks, as Lenoir-Rhyne edged the Trojans, 89-85, Saturday afternoon at Shuford Memorial Gym.
"It was a disappointing road loss tonight," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "I did not have the guys ready to compete on the defensive side of the ball. We will learn from it and move on."
Anderson (14-8, 9-7 SAC) saw its win streak halted at five games, while Lenoir-Rhyne (12-9, 8-8 SAC) snapped a three-game skid and managed a split of the regular season series with the Trojans.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior guard Shawn Benard poured in a career-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and dished out three assists, while freshman guard Crosby James II added 21 points and pulled down a season-high seven boards. Sophomore forward Satchel Hester posted his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Freshman forward Mack Burgett came off the bench to score eight points and corral four rebounds.
Lenoir-Rhyne junior guard Darius Simmons dropped in a game-high 33 points, with teammate Zim Fields netting 23 points. Junior guard R.J. Gunn notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The opening 20 minutes saw five ties and nine lead changes, with neither team able to build more than a two-possession advantage through the half.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored the first five points of the game, but Benard scored eight of the Trojans' next 10 points to give AU their first lead of the contest, at 12-9, with 14:22 on the clock.
The see-saw battle continued over the next 10 minutes, until Benard and Hester combined to boost AU to a pair of six-point leads late in the half. But they were unable to build on the momentum and the two teams went into halftime deadlocked at 37-37.
Second Half
The Trojans grabbed a five-point lead on junior guard Alex Keel's lone 3-pointer of the afternoon and claimed a 57-50 advantage when James dropped in a layup with just more than 13 minutes left in the game. L-R countered with seven straight points to knot the score for the sixth time of the day, while AU answered by going on an 11-4 run over the next three-plus minutes to quickly reclaim a seven-point lead (68-61) and took its largest lead of the afternoon, at 75-67, at the 6:34 mark.
The Bears then took their first lead since the 2:10 mark of the first half behind a 15-6 surge and were a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and 2-of-2 at the free throw line inside the final minute to pull out the narrow win.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
Lenoir-Rhyne outscored the Trojans, 20-11, at the charity stripe.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans out-rebounded Lenoir-Rhyne, 40-36, and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.
• AU's 50.0 percent accuracy (10-of-20) from beyond the arc was its highest of the season.
• The Trojans' five-game win streak was their longest since also winning five straight during the 2014-15 campaign.
• AU has swiped at least five steals in eight consecutive games.
• The Trojans have connected on at least seven 3-pointers in nine straight games, including a season-high 13 treys at Carson-Newman and 12 at home against Newberry.
• Anderson holds a 12-9 edge in the overall series with L-R.
UP NEXT
AU will wrap up its two-game road trip by traveling to Wingate, Wednesday night. The Trojans will be looking to earn a split of the season series after falling, 90-81, to the Bulldogs in early January at the Abney Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
