Gaffney, S.C.- Facing a tall task with just five available players, due to CoVid protocols, the Anderson University basketball team fell, 72-59, to the newest member of the South Atlantic Conference Limestone on Saturday afternoon at the Timken Center. The Trojans slip to 7-5 overall and 6-4 in South Atlantic Conference play, while the Saints improve to 4-6 overall and 4-7 in conference action.
"I hate that the score doesn't reflect how well we played today," said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "I should have done a better job mixing up our defenses in the 2nd and 3rd quarter to no fault of the players."
"I was extremely pleased with our effort," boasted Barbaree. "We played to win and just needed a few more shots to fall. Each player played with confidence today and that's going to help us down the stretch."
KEY STATS
- Anderson shot 25-of-72 (34.7 percent) from the field on the day, Limestone shot 29-of-66 (43.9 percent).
- The Trojans shot 15.4 percent (two-for-13) from three-point range, the Saints shot 36.0 percent (nine-for-25) from beyond the arc.
- Anderson outrebounded the Saints 47-38.
- The Black and Gold hit seven-of-12 (58.3%) at the free throw line, while Limestone went six-for-eight (66.7%).
KEY TROJANS
- Samantha Michel had a career high 27 points, while grabbing a career high 16 rebounds. Michel also recorded four blocks on the afternoon.
- Britney Bailey contributed 11 points, grabbing a career high 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal.
- Xan Rowland scored a career high 10 points and dished out a career high seven rebounds.
- J'Mya Cutter and Kaitlin Bailey each pulled down career rebounds with nine and seven, respectively.
NOTES
- It is just AU's second loss when outrebounding its opponent (6-2).
FIRST QUARTER
- Limestone outscored Anderson 22-19.
- Michel's offensive put-back opened the scoring for the game at the 9:30 mark.
- The Saints led most of the first period with the Trojans regaining a brief one-point lead on B. Bailey's jumper with 1:39 remaining, 18-17.
SECOND QUARTER
- A 5-0 Saint run, stopped by Michel's layup, put the Saints up by eight with 7:44 to go in the half.
- Limestone increased its lead to 12 on Reagan Kargo layup, with AU's K. Bailey's two made fouls shots bringing the score back to within 10, 38-28.
THIRD QUARTER
- The Saints increased its lead to 18, outscoring the Black and Gold, 25-17 in the period.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Anderson outscored Limestone 14-10 in the final stanza.
- Michel's jumpers at the 6:01 mark and the 4:34 mark cut the lead to 10.
- McCray's three-point basket stopped AU's threat with 2:12 remaining in the game, 70-57.
UP NEXT
-The Trojans will travel to SAC opponent Mars Hill on Monday. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 pm.
