BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Paced by four players in double figures in the scoring column, the Anderson men's basketball team opened the 2022-23 campaign by falling behind early, but holding its own in the second half, in a 109-85 exhibition loss to NCAA D-I opponent Samford, Monday night at the Bulldogs' Pete Hanna Center.
"I was really proud of our team's effort tonight in a great college basketball environment," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "We knew this game would help prepare us for what's ahead. Samford is a team I'm really familiar with. We played them three times last year. (Head Coach) Bucky (McMillan) has done a great job building a winning program and getting the campus behind them. That was fun out there tonight. I'm not a big moral victory guy, but we fought through a number of things together tonight. I'm thankful I get to coach these guys. We'll watch the film and get back to work. Two big ones this weekend. Go Trojans!"
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore guard Garrett Denbow poured in a game-high 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field, including 5-of-12 accuracy from beyond the arc, with sophomore guard Myles Jenkins adding 20 points and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. The Lexington native was 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Sophomore Jacksen Greco recorded 18 points on 6-of-12 field goal accuracy and was 3-for-5 from long range. The 6-foot-3 guard also grabbed eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Luke Denbow netted 10 points, corralled three rebounds and dished out three assists, while senior guard Mason Carver chipped in seven points, six boards and handed out a game-high seven assists. Despite being hampered by early foul trouble, junior forward Mack Burgett added seven rebounds and swiped three steals.
Junior forward Jermaine Marshall led six Bulldogs in double figures with 19 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Trojans got off to a slow start - misfiring on their first nine field goal attempts, but trailed just, 10-7, at the 15:16 mark after Jenkins drained a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner.
Less than four minutes later, with AU trailing by seven (17-10) sophomore Edo Buffo was fouled on a 3-point attempt, with the guard stepping to the line and connecting on all three free throws to get the Black and Gold within just four. But the Bulldogs countered with a 16-5 run over the next four minutes to build their lead to 33-18 with less than eight minutes left in the half.
Moments later Luke Denbow's trey cut the deficit to single digits, at 33-24, but again Samford went on a run – this time stretching their advantage back to double digits and led by 24 late in the opening half before taking a 56-34 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
Fueled by a pair of 3-pointers from Luke Denbow, AU opened the second frame by connecting on five of its first seven field goal attempts, with Garrett Denbow also connecting on a trey during the Trojans' 15-5 scoring run over the first five minutes.
But after getting within 61-49 at the first media break, the Trojans saw Samford build its lead back to 23 midway through the second half and the Bulldogs maintained the margin the rest of the way.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans held their own on the boards – with each team recording 44 rebounds. AU pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans out-shot Samford, 43.8% to 28.1% from the 3-point line.
• Clemson opened the 2019-20 campaign by out-distancing AU, 75-48, at Littlejohn Coliseum.
• The Trojans dropped a 62-36 exhibition decision to Clemson prior to the 2014-15 regular season.
• AU stunned the College of Charleston, 65-49, in an exhibition early in the 2012-13 campaign.
• Monday night's contest marked the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and Bulldogs.
• The Bulldogs were a preseason pick to finish second in the 2022-23 Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll (behind Furman) and third in the Preseason Media Poll (behind Furman and Chattanooga).
• Last season marked the first time Samford has won at least 20 games since 2016-17 and the first time the Bulldogs won 20 games in the regular season since 1998-99.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will open their regular season at a Regional Challenge, Nov. 11-12. For the third straight season, AU's opponents in the season-opening conference crossover event will feature Lander and Flagler, with the Bearcats hosting the two-day event in Greenwood this year.
AU is slated to meet Lander, Friday night at 6:30 p.m., then square off against Flagler, Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
