BELMONT, N.C. – After overcoming foul trouble and fighting for a 12-point fourth quarter lead, Anderson University (4-3) women's basketball scored at the buzzer to survive the Crusaders' surge claiming the, 63-61, road victory over nonconference opponent Belmont Abbey (2-3) on Monday afternoon at The Wheeler Center.
"Road wins are never easy," said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "Grateful that we were able to grind out the win."
"This was another great learning opportunity for us against a really well coached team that made timely plays," added Barbaree. "We will look to build on this as we grow closer to conference season."
With the game knotted up after one half of play, 25-25, the Trojans were able to build a slim three-point lead heading into the final quarter of play. Just as Anderson's offense seemed to find some rhythm and flow, foul issues crept in.
The Black and Gold were able to get a huge lift from graduate student Caria Reynolds, earning seven points in the late third and early fourth quarters of action. Also, providing a spark during a crucial point of the game was senior Maggie Campbell draining a huge three-point shot with eight minutes remaining to give the Trojans a six-point lead. Freshman's Ashlyn Sherdian's three-point basket with 3:07 left gave the Black and Gold a 12-point lead, its largest of the game.
Belmont Abbey was able to take advantage of a few Trojan turnovers and made foul shots down the stretch to tie the game, 61-61, with 16 seconds left. With senior Brittney Stafford bringing the ball up of the court, Stafford found senior Nelliah Wilson near the free-throw line who dumped her pass to senior Jalyn Spurlin who had worked for great position down low. Spurlin's short turn-around shot went through the basket with three seconds remaining. Anderson was able to keep the Crusaders from firing off a final shot.
The Black and Gold placed two players in double-figure scoring with sophomore Diamond McDowell scoring a team-high 14 points. McDowell also pulled down 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season. Spurlin netted 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Wilson dropped in eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while Stafford chipped in seven points and was credited with four assists and three steals.
Belmont Abbey placed three players in double digit scoring with Abigail Crain scoring a game-high 22 points. Riley James contributed 12 points while Taylor Stelley chipped in 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Anderson remains on the road, for its fourth of five roads games in a row, to play nonconference opponent Savannah State on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 2 pm.
