Anderson, S.C. – Despite a sluggish first half, No. 16 Anderson University women's basketball team outscored the Railsplitters, 45-25, in the second half of action to win its seventh straight contest conquering the South Atlantic Conference matchup vs Lincoln Memorial, 67-49, on Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
With the victory, Anderson moves to 14-2 overall and 9-1 in SAC play, while the Railsplitters drop to 6-8 overall and 5-5 in conference action.
Senior Alexy Mollenhauer scored a game-high 18 points while pulling down 11 rebounds to record her eighth double-double of the season. Freshman J'Mya Cutter netted nine points and a career-high six rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Seniors Madison Baggett and Amari Grevious each chipped in eight points pulling down 12 and seven rebounds, respectively. Freshman Jalyn Spurlin came off the bench to contribute seven points, three rebounds and one assist on the afternoon.
Lincoln Memorial's Shermeria Quarles was the lone Railsplitter reaching double-digits with 11 points. Quarles also pulled down five rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the opening frame scoring just eight points apiece. Anderson's Cutter came in off the bench to provide a lift scoring four points, grabbing two rebounds and being credited with a steal.
AU's Grevious and junior Taylor Hair scored eight of the Trojans second frame points with Grevious pulling down three big rebounds. Despite more offensive output than in the first period, the Black and Gold trailed going into to halftime for just the third time this season, 24-22.
Anderson flipped the switch in the third period, outscoring the Railsplitters, 24-8. Mollenhauer energized the offence shooting 6-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-2 from being the arc. For the period, the Trojans shot 58.8% from the field.
AU's Baggett took command in the fourth quarter draining two three-point baskets while chasing down five of her 12 rebounds. The Black and Gold's bench played a large role scoring 31 points.
"I'm glad we play two halves, said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "We are really proud of how our bench stepped up tonight with 31 points and the team's resilience to grind through a shooting slump was impressive."
Anderson will travel to SAC foe Catawba on Wednesday to battle for solo rights to first place in the league. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
