NEWBERRY, S.C. – Senior guard Alex Keel dropped in a 17-foot jumper from just above the right elbow with 11.7 seconds on the clock with what proved to be the game-winner, as the Anderson men's basketball team outlasted Newberry, 70-69, in South Atlantic Conference action, Thursday night at Eleazer arena.
"I couldn't be more proud of the fight that we showed," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "It was another exciting basketball game that came down to one possession. We were fortunate to make a couple of big plays in the last minute to pull out the win. It feels good to pull a close one out on the road against a quality opponent."
Anderson improved to 4-6 overall and 4-6 in league play with its second victory in three decisions, while halting the Wolves' win streak at three. Newberry fell to 5-3 and 5-3 in its first game in 19 days.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Jalen Hillery came off the bench to pour in a season-high 18 points, including 13 in the first half. Junior guard Kai Rivers added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and shared team-high honors with five rebounds. Sophomore forward Mack Burgett netted a career-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Crosby James II tallied 11 points, including nine in the opening frame and grabbed five first-half rebounds. Junior guard Joseph Staton scored eight first-half points and dished out a pair of assists. Keel finished with six second-half points and equaled a career-high with four assists.
Newberry's Quandaveon McCollum led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, while teammate Tai Giger added 18 points for the Wolves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Newberry scored the first five points out of the gate, with Mack Burgett battling down low to get the Trojans on the scoreboard with a short jumper at the 17:44 mark. James added a pair of free throws 19 seconds later and following a free throw by Newberry's McCollum, Staton netted a running jumper in the lane to knot the score at six apiece with 16:51 on the clock.
Rivers then dropped in a layup to spark a 21-9 run by the Trojans, as they built a 12-point lead – their largest of the contest – midway through the half. Newberry trimmed the deficit to five on the strength of a 9-2 surge of their own, before AU pushed back out to a 43-34 lead at halftime, with the Trojans finishing the half connecting on better than 55 percent of their shots.
Second Half
As hot as AU was in the opening half, the Trojans opened the second stanza sluggishly – connecting on just two of their first 11 field goal attempts. Newberry took advantage of the Black and Gold's shooting woes to overcome the nine-point halftime deficit with a 17-6 scoring run to claim a 51-49 advantage - its first lead since the 16:31 mark of the first half.
Neither team managed to forge more than a two-point lead over the final 13 minutes, with the tug-of-war on the hardwood seeing six ties and eight lead changes during that time.
Following McCollum's layup that gave the Wolves a 67-65 edge with just less than two minutes on the clock, Keel answered for the Trojans by knocking down his lone 3-pointer of the contest from deep on the left side at the 1:14 mark, giving AU a 68-67 lead.
The Trojan defense stepped up and forced a pair of misses from long-range, but the Wolves pulled down two straight offensive rebounds before Malakhi Stremlow put Newberry ahead with a put-back with just 33.4 seconds on the clock. Following an AU timeout, the Trojans worked the ball around the perimeter before Keel's heroics.
Newberry had one last shot, but Stremlow's game-winning 3-point attempt from the left corner rattled off the rim just before the final buzzer sounded.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans were 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the field in the first half – their highest first-half accuracy of the season.
NOTABLES
• The game featured 10 ties, including seven in the second half.
• The contest featured 13 lead changes, including 12 in the final 15 minutes.
• The largest lead for either team in the second half was six points.
• The Trojans captured their first road win of the season.
• Including tonight's contest, the Trojans are scheduled to play six games over the next 12 days, with two of the contests coming on the road and the final four at home.
• Newberry slipped to 2-2 at home.
• AU has won seven of the last nine matchups with the Wolves.
• Newberry won the battle of the boards, 43-33, and pulled down 17 offensive board.
• Four of the last five games between the Trojans and Wolves have been decided by three points or less.
• The Trojans have recorded at least five treys in all 10 games, with a season-high 12 vs. Carson-Newman.
• The Trojans saw their streak of three straight games with double-figure assists halted after being credited with nine on the night.
UP NEXT
The Trojans wrap up their three-game road swing by traveling to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. Tip-off against the Bears at Shuford Memorial Gym is scheduled for 4 p.m.
