ANDERSON, S.C. -- No. 12 Anderson University outscored Belmont Abbey 16-2 in the final five minutes of the first half and went on to beat Belmont Abbey 72-41 in the semifinals of the 2008 Conference Carolinas Tournament Thursday night at the Abney Center. Anderson, 27-2 overall, won its 20th straight game. The loss ends Belmont Abbey's season at 19-10. Anderson will face Mount Olive (19-10), a 74-71 winner over Barton, at home Saturday for the tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The start time for the championship game will be announced Friday. Belmont Abbey's 41 points was third-lowest total allowed by Anderson this season. "It was a great effort defensively," said Anderson head coach Jeff Dow. "To hold a team to 41 points is pretty impressive. I'm extremely pleased with a lot of areas." Anderson jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the first eight minutes, but Belmont Abbey fought back to tie the game at 19 with 5:05 remaining. From that point, Anderson rediscovered its offense. A 3-point goal and a layup by Alexa Neal, two free throws apiece by Nikki Anthony and Whitney Ketner, a three-point play by Mikala Fogle-Wilson, and single free throw by Anthony gave the Lady Trojans a 32-19 lead with 54 seconds remaining. A 3-point basket by Keana Boyd to end the first half gave Anderson a 35-21 lead at the break. "We went on the 16-2 run and then had a good start to the second half and cruised the rest of the way," Dow said. "If we continue to play with that type of defensive intensity, we've got a chance to do some good things in the next couple of weeks." Anthony, a senior from Pickens, S.C., had her 16th double-double of the season by halftime -- 10 points and 11 rebounds. She finished the game with 15 points and 14 rebounds. "I think Nikki had a little extra bounce in her step tonight," Dow said. "She was always around the action. Teams are going to be physical with her, but she did a good job of handling it. She played a really well rounded game." Anderson, ranked No. 3 in this week's East Region poll, limited Belmont Abbey to 29 percent from the field and just six baskets in the second half. A 3-point goal by Fogle-Wilson with 5:41 remaining gave Anderson its largest lead of 34 points -- 65-31. Anderson shot 43 percent in the second half and 40 percent for the game. Following Anthony for Anderson were Neal with 14, Fogle-Wilson with 11, and Boyd with 10. The Crusaders were led by Mercedes King with 16 points and Marie Marquez with 10 points. Anderson scored 23 points off 22 Belmont Abbey turnovers. Anderson committed a season-low eight turnovers. The previous low was nine against North Greenville on Nov. 17. The Lady Trojans had 18 assists on 26 baskets. Boyd and Ketner had five assists apiece. Led by Anthony, Anderson won the boards, 41-34. Anderson beat Mount Olive twice during the regular-season in two close games -- 50-49 at Anderson and 69-62 at Mount Olive. "Mount Olive has defended us as well as anybody," Dow said. "They are a very athletic team. They are very scrappy and they play physical half-court defense. We have a lot of respect for Mount Olive." Box: Anderson 72, Belmont Abbey 41 Anderson University Women's Basketball Statistics