ANDERSON, S.C. – Guards Myles Jenkins and Garrett Denbow each poured in a game-high 29 points, but the Anderson men's basketball team wrapped up its regular-season home slate with a double-overtime setback to Mountain Division-rival Tusculum, 97-94, in South Atlantic Conference action, Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
"Double overtime thriller," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "Hard coming out on the losing end of that but extremely proud of our effort tonight. Myles getting hurt and Mack fouling out was a tough blow but we had a number of guys step up. This year has made me appreciate the commitment this team has shown in the face of adversity. Tusculum is a really good team, hats off to them for finding a way to win. They made some big plays late. Really proud of our seniors. Mason, Jalen and Satchel are all going to be remembered around here for a long time. I wish we could've got it done tonight for them but that's life. We have to grow from this and we will, I have no doubt. Our guys are hurting right now, but we will pick each other up and be ready for Mars Hill Saturday. I love this team."
Anderson slipped to (8-19 overall and 5-12 in conference action, while Tusculum improved to 14-10 and 10-7 with its fourth straight win.
Jenkins posted a career night despite leaving midway through the second half with an injury. The Lexington native was limited to just seven minutes in the second stanza. He was 11-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-5 from long range. He also recorded four rebounds. Denbow was 10-of-23 from the field en route to his 29-point night. He grabbed five rebounds and swiped three steals in 49 minutes of action.
Senior guard Mason Carver embraced late hero status on two occasions by knocking down a game-tying bucket at the end of regulation and again at the end of the first overtime. The Lexington native finished the night with his first career-double-double, with 11 points and a career-best 10 boards. Sophomore guard Jacksen Greco tallied 10 points, five rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.
Sophomore guard Jackson Gammons came off the bench to score seven points and grab seven rebounds, with junior forward Mack Burgett corralling six rebounds and Ian Thomson grabbing five boards.
Junior forward Connor Jordan led for Pioneers in double figures with 25 points, while senior Justin Mitchell added 20. Junior forward James west posted 15 points, with guard Inady Legiste chipping in a dozen points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Tusculum overcame an early 9-3 lead by the Trojans and claimed an 11-10 advantage, the Black and Gold posted a massive 30-12 scoring run that saw AU build a 17-point, 40-23, lead with just less than five minutes left in the opening half.
The Pioneers trimmed AU's lead to single digits (40-33) at the 1:19 mark, but behind a late 3-pointer from Denbow and a pair of free throws by Carver, the Trojans held a 45-33 halftime lead.
AU continued its hot-hand in the second half by connecting on 13-of-25 field goals (52.0 percent) but committed 11 turnovers that led to a dozen points by the Pioneers.
With the Trojans clinging to a 72-67 lead with less than five minutes on the clock, Tusculum rattled off a 10-1 scoring run to claim a 77-73 edge with 3:29 remaining. Carver then buried a 3-pointer to get AU within one, before Mitchell countered with a layup on the other end. Following a timeout, Denbow misfired on a potential game-tying trey with 4.5 ticks on the clock, with Burgett tapping the ball back out to the right side. Carver snatched the ball up and got off a fall-away 3-point attempt that fell through the net as the horn sounded to send the game into its first extra period.
Neither team was able to build more than a one-possession lead in the overtime frame, but Tusculum was in good shape after Legiste sank a pair of free throws with 10 seconds on the clock. Carver then took the inbounds pass drove nearly the length of the court, broke left down the lane and dropped in the game time layup with 3.1 seconds left. TU's KJ Crump then got off a game-winning attempt from between the circles, but his shot bounced off the back of the rim.
The back-and-forth continued through the second overtime, with Mitchell providing the difference with a traditional three-point play with 7.8 ticks remaining. Carver managed to get off a desperation shot just before the final horn, but it bounced off the left side of the rim.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
Two of Mason Carver's three field goals on the night were buzzer-beaters.
NOTABLES
• The game marked Andersron's first overtime game since Nov. 13, 2021, when the Trojans edged Lander, 80-77.
• It was AU's first two-overtime contest since dropping a 102-101 decision to LMU on dec. 12, 2018.
• Mason Carver posted his first career double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Trojans are one double-double away from matching the team-record of 12 since joining the South Atlantic Conference.
• The Trojans were just 3-of-10 from the free throw line in the second half.
• With one game remaining in the regular season, the Trojans trail Lenoir-Rhyne and Coker by one game in the battle for one of the four Piedmont Division berths in next month's SAC Tournament.
• Both the Cobras and Bears own the tiebreaker over AU, so the Trojans have been eliminated from postseason consideration.
• AU has dropped six of its last seven decisions.
• The Trojans and Pioneers have met just 27 times, with the Trojans holding a 16-11 advantage on the strength of an 11-game win streak versus the Pioneers from 2008-2015.
• Tusculum has won the last seven matchups.
UP NEXT
AU will wrap up the season by visiting Mars Hill, Saturday afternoon. Tip-off at Stanford Arena is slated for 4 p.m.
