ANDERSON, S.C. – After an unexpected delay in getting back on the hardwood following the holidays and having last Wednesday night's game against Catawba, then last Saturday afternoon's matchup vs. Carson-Newman postponed due to COVID-19 issues in the Indians' and Eagles' programs, the Anderson men's basketball team finally opened the New Year, but dropped a 93-87 decision to visiting Catawba, Monday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (7-7, 4-6 SAC) has dropped two straight after posting a four-game win streak in December, while Catawba (6-7, 5-6 SAC) has won four of its last five decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Forward Parker Dortch equaled his season high - previously set against Lander - with a game-high 30 points, including 18 points in the first half. The Columbus, N.J., native was 14-of-20 from the field on the night. Guard Quin Nottingham added 13 points and dished out a game-high eight assists – just two shy of his career high. He also came up with a pair of steals. Freshman guard Myles Jenkins netted 12 points and pulled down five rebounds, with junior guard Crosby James II scoring 11 points and also grabbing five rebounds. Junior forward Mack Burgett was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and finished with eight points, while forward Josh Livingston shared team-high rebounding honors with five rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The fast-paced, up-and-down first half saw three ties and five lead changes inside the first eight minutes.
Neither team was able to claim more than a three-point lead until the Trojans used a 12-3 spurt in less than four minutes to stake a double-digit, 41-31, advantage with 5:34 left in the first half. AU was blistering the nets at a 72 percent (18-of-25) clip at that point and had knocked down 4-of-5 treys.
The Black and Gold kept up the pressure by shooting even better over the final five minutes of the frame, while building an 18-point lead (57-39) with less than a minute left in the half and took a 58-41 edge into halftime.
Second Half
The roles were reveres in the second frame, with Catawba coming out of the break by connecting of 11 of their first 16 field goal attempts, while the Trojans misfired on eight of their first 11 shots. The Indians capitalized by using a 22-5 scoring outburst to whittle AU's lead down to just 65-63 at the 12:55 mark.
The Trojans held off the onslaught for the next eight minutes and still led, 83-77, with more than four minutes on the clock, but Catawba used a 9-2 run to take its first lead (86-85) since the 10:19 mark of the first half. The Indians opened a three-point lead on a steal and layup by freshman Caleb Robinson before Nottingham countered with a driving layup on the other end to get the Trojans within 88-87 with 59 seconds remaining.
The AU defense then stepped up and forced back-to-back misses by the Indians, but were unable to corral the rebounds and freshman Peyton Gerald dropped in Catawba's second miss to push their lead back to 90-87. Following a miss on the other end, Indian sophomore Benard Pelote connected on 1-of-2 from the free throw line and Catawba led by four with 26.7 on the clock.
Following a timeout with 25.3 remaining, the Trojans misfired on a desperation 3-pointer from deep in the left corner and Robinson sank two free throws to set the final score.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans flirted with setting a school record after shooting 78.1% (25-of-32) from the field in the first half and finished the night with a 58.1% shooting percentage (36-of-36) – their second-highest field goal accuracy of the season.
NOTABLES
• AU was playing just its second game in 23 days.
• The Trojans hold a 17-14 advantage in the all-time series with Catawba.
• Catawba has won three straight over the Trojans.
• The Indians shot 48.6% from the field in the opening half, then were 23-of-37 (62.2%) in the second half.
• AU's win/loss margin in seven of its last eight games has been by an average of 3.0 points. The four wins were by a total of 10 points.
• Catawba won the rebounding battle, 39-27, and recorded 11 offensive boards.
• The Trojans 16 assists were their third-highest tally of the season.
UP NEXT
The Trojans visit No. 12 Queens on Wednesday, marking the second game of six contests in a 17-day span. Tip-off vs. the Royals in Charlotte is slated for 7:30 p.m. AU will be looking to avenge an earlier, 86-79, loss to Queens at the Abney Center.
