AUGUSTA, GA. – Shaking off a sloppy second quarter of action by the Trojans, Anderson University (6-0) regained control of the back-and-forth affair to spoil Augusta's (4-1) home opener defeating the Jaguars, 82-76, on Wednesday evening at the Christenberry Fieldhouse.
"So proud of this team and their resilience," expressed head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "Road wins are hard, and this team fought just as hard to get one tonight against a great team in Augusta."
I thought we had a good start, but we were turning the ball over too much in the first half," explained Barbaree. "That was a point of emphasis at half and a big key for the second half surge. From there honestly, our ladies made plays and it had nothing to do with coaching."
"November was good to us, but now we have to get ready for both conference play and final exams," added Barbaree.
Anderson began the game on a 6-0 run before Augusta settled in. AU won the opening quarter 23-19 pulling away in the final three minutes to earn a four-point advantage.
The Jaguars opened the second period with an 8-0 run holding the Black and Gold scoreless for nearly four minutes. Augusta took advantage of several AU miscues to claim the eight-point halftime lead, 41-33.
Anderson was able to erase the deficit on senior Nelliah Wilson's layup at the 4:07 mark of the third period, 49-49. After a couple of lead changes, AU was able to build a four-point lead heading into the final period of play.
The Black and Gold remained poised outscoring the Jaguars 21-19 hitting key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory, 82-76.
All five Anderson starters reach double-digit scoring with senior Nelliah Wilson dropping in a career-high 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Wilson also ripped down seven rebounds and dished out three assists. Junior Diamond McDowell scored 20 points and hauled in four rebounds. Senior Zamiya Passmore netted 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and recorded two steals in an all-around stellar performance. Sophomore Ashlyn Sheridan chipped in 12 points, including two timely three-point baskets while graduate Brittney Stafford contributed 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steal. Along with McDowell, Stafford hit both foul shots with under 40 seconds to play to help the Trojans win an important region road contest.
Augusta placed three players in double figures with K. Manning scoring a game-high 25 points. Manning also pulled down eight rebounds for the Jaguars.
AU shot a staggering 58.3% from the field shooting 50% or better for the third straight game. Anderson outrebounded Augusta, 32-26.
The Trojans will remain on the road to open South Atlantic Conference play at Tusculum on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.
