ANDERSON, S.C. - Despite Jennifer Monroe's third straight double-double, No. 17 Anderson University women's basketball fell behind early and dropped a key Southeast Regional decision to No. 8 Limestone, 63-49, Thursday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
The setback snaps a streak of 22 straight regular-season victories, including 13 straight on the Abney Center's hardwood, as the Trojans drop to 8-1 for the year. The Saints, who eliminated the Black and Gold from the postseason in the Sweet 16 a season ago, improves to a perfect 9-0 overall record and grabs their fourth straight win in the all-time series.
Monroe totaled a career-high 27 points with equaled her career-high with 16 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end. Despite the game-high 27 points, Monroe was the lone Trojan to hit double figures, as senior guard Madison Floyd tallied seven points and juniors Heather Jankowy and Alexis Dillard dropped in six points apiece. Dillard also pulled down eight rebounds to follow Monroe's total.
As a team, the Black and Gold shot 28.1 percent (16-for-57) from the floor and just 12.5 percent (3-for-24) from three-point range, as both totals were season lows. The Saints countered with a 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) mark from behind the arc, as Maurissa Lester and Jasmine Kearse reached double figures with 18 and 15 points, respectively. The Saints out-rebounded the Trojans, 43-37, and out-scored AU's bench, 16-0.
Anderson started sluggish followings its 12-day lay-off, as the visitors out-scored the Trojans, 18-3, in the first quarter. Limestone shot 40 percent (6-for-15) for the first 10 minutes and held AU to its fewest amount of points for a quarter this season.
In the second stanza, the Trojans begun to come alive and out-scored Limestone, 10-9, for the next 10 minutes and set the halftime score at 27-13. Monroe paced the Trojans with six points and five rebounds for the period, headlined by a 4-for-5 mark from the free-throw line. The Anderson defense maintained Limestone to just 3-for-12 (25 percent) for the quarter and forced 10 turnovers.
After the break, Monroe opened the third quarter with AU's first four points and finished the period with 11 points on 4-for-6 from the field. The Trojans tallied 22 points for the quarter and cut the deficit to 46-35 entering the final 10 minutes of play.
With the momentum in Anderson's favor, Limestone bounced back with the fourth quarter's first nine points, as a traditional three-point play from Taylour Hunter and a 3-pointer from the wing off the hand of Lester began the run and forced a timeout from head coach Jimmy Garrity. Following the break, Victoria Marshall was left alone and buried another trey from the wing to put the game out of reach at 55-35.
The closest Anderson would come for the remainder of the game is 10 points, as the Saints maintained their double-figure lead throughout the fourth quarter. The victory handed Limestone its 35th straight regular-season win, dating back to a season ago.
AU returns to action Wednesday when it jumps back into South Atlantic Conference action welcoming Brevard to the Abney Center for the final time as conference foes. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
