HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Anderson men's basketball team closed out its regular-season slate with a 75-55 loss to league-leading and nationally second-ranked Lincoln Memorial, Saturday afternoon at Tex Turner Arena.
"We are looking forward to two good days of preparation for the first round of the conference tournament," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "You can throw all records out the window. It is a new season and everyone is 0-0."
Anderson (17-11, 12-10 SAC) wrapped up the regular season with two wins in its last four outings and claimed the fifth seed in next week's South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
Lincoln Memorial (29-1, 22-0 SAC) claimed its 29th consecutive victory and enters the postseason as the top seed in the SAC Tournament after running the table in conference play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Freshman guard Crosby James II posted a double-double by scoring a team-high 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Senior guard Shawn Benard added 12 points, four rebounds and dished out four assists, while junior Quin Nottingham netted 11 points. Sophomore Jason Edwards recorded a team-high 11 boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Lincoln Memorial grabbed an early lead, but the Trojans stayed close and after trailing by four with more than 16 minutes on the clock, Benard dropped in eight points and keyed an 11-5 run that saw AU turn the deficit into a 13-11 lead with less than 12 minutes on the clock.
But the Railsplitters regained the advantage midway through the half and edged out to a 37-24 halftime lead.
Second Half
LMU claimed its largest lead of the contest, at 55-28, at the 12:53 mark and the Trojans were unable to get any closer than 17 in the final moments.
NOTABLES
• LMU out-rebounded the Trojans, 46-42.
• AU is making its fourth straight appearance in the SAC Tournament and its eighth overall appearance since joining the conference for the 2010-11 campaign.
• The Trojans and Pioneers have never met in the SAC Tournament.
• The Trojans are 5-7 in their seven appearances in the postseason SAC Tournament.
• Despite earning a trip to the NCAA Elite in 2011 and the Sweet 16 in 2012 - and winning the regular-season title in 2012 - the Trojans have yet to win a SAC Tournament Championship.
UP NEXT
Anderson will get back on the court Wednesday, when the Trojans visit Tusculum for the second time this season. AU will be looking to avenge a pair of losses suffered at the hands of the Pioneers during the regular season. Tip-off in Greeneville, Tenn., is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena.
2020 SAC Tournament
Wednesday, March 4 (at Highest Seeds)
Game 1: #1 Lincoln Memorial vs. #8 Mars Hill, 7:00 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Tusculum vs. #5 Anderson, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: #2 Queens vs. #7 Lenoir-Rhyne, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: #3 Catawba vs. #6 Newberry, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 (Timmons Arena, Greenville, S.C.)
Game 5: winner game 1 vs. winner game 2, 5:00 p.m.
Game 6: winner game 3 vs. winner game 4, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 (Timmons Arena, Greenville, S.C.)
Game 7: winner game 5 vs. winner game 6, 4:00 p.m
