WINGATE, N.C. – The Anderson men's basketball team used an impressive run to erase a second-half deficit and held off Wingate down the stretch, as the Trojans rallied for a 91-85 South Atlantic Conference road win over the Bulldogs, Wednesday night at Cuddy Arena.
"What a really good road win," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "We made a lot of mistakes tonight, but for the guys to be able to hang in the game and give themselves a chance on the road tells you a lot about this team. We talk about making winning plays when it counts all the time. Tonight we made several of those type of plays late in the game. Enjoy it, but turn the page and get ready for the next."
With five players – and nearly a sixth – reaching double-figure scoring for the fourth time this season, Anderson improved to 15-8 overall and 10-7 in conference play with its sixth win in seven decisions and eighth victory in 10 outings.
Wingate fell to 10-13 and 6-11 with its third straight loss.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Freshman guard Crosby James II came off the bench to pour in a team-high 22 points on the strength of 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Quin Nottingham added 16 points, with guard Shawn Benard notching his second double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-high 10 assists. The senior from Mobile, Ala., also pulled down six rebounds. Freshman forward Mack Burgett netted 10 points and recorded five rebounds, while junior guard Alex Keel scored 10 points. Sophomore forward Satchel Hester tallied nine points and a career-high three steals. Junior forward Josh Livingston collected a game-high 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
After falling behind, 15-7, inside the opening six minutes the Trojans reeled off seven unanswered points to get within one just before the second media timeout, but Wingate responded with a 12-4 surge over the next three minutes to claim a 27-18 lead at the 9:05 mark.
The Bulldogs crept out to their largest lead of the night, at 35-23, with 4:46 remaining in the half and held a 45-38 advantage at the break.
Second Half
AU climbed within one possession on six occasions over the first nine-plus minutes of the second frame, but Wingate had an answer each time – until James came up with a steal and got the ball to Benard, who found Burgett for a layup that trimmed the Bulldogs' edge to just 63-62 with 10:21 on the clock.
Following a layup by Wingate junior Miguel Priest, Benard drained a 3-pointer that knotted the score for just the second time of the night and James nailed a trey 22 seconds later to give the Trojans a 68-65 lead – their first advantage of the night – and AU would not trail the rest of the way.
Three minutes later, Benard connected on a pair of free throws to cap a 16-6 run by the Trojans that gave them a 74-69 lead with 6:30 left. Wingate rallied to knot the score at 77 apiece, but AU refused to fold on the road and countered by pushing out to an 88-81 lead with 91 seconds on the clock.
The Trojans were 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 1:11 to close out their first win at Cuddy Arena since the 2017-18 campaign.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Wingate was 30-of-37 (81.1%) from the charity stripe.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans' 54.1 percent field goal accuracy was their fourth-highest of the season.
• Wingate won the rebounding battle, 44-32, and pulled down 20 offensive boards.
• The Trojans have clinched their second straight winning season.
• AU improved to 7-5 on the road this season.
• Wingate holds an 18-9 edge in the all-time series.
• AU earned a split of the regular-season series with Wingate for the second time in three seasons.
• The Trojans improved to 6-6 versus Wingate at Cuddy Arena.
UP NEXT
AU will play host to Tusculum at the Abney Athletic Center, Saturday afternoon. The Trojans will be looking to salvage a split of the season series after falling, 70-54, to the Pioneers in early January at Pioneer Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
