ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson women's basketball (8-2, 1-2 SAC) ramped up its defensive effort in the second half to hand Carson-Newman (7-2, 2-1 SAC) its first South Atlantic Conference loss on Saturday afternoon inside the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center.
"So proud of this team," exclaimed head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "At halftime I challenged them, I mean I really challenged them," explained Barbaree. "They banded together and they responded, especially on defense."
"Offensively, we continued to play solid and took care of the ball while sharing the wealth," said Barbaree. "Also, I thought we got some good minutes from our bench tonight."
After giving up 47 first half points, the Trojans responded on the defensive end of the court in the second half of action, only allowing the Eagles to score 22 points. Anderson blocked four shots in the fourth period with nearly every shot contested in the half. AU also grabbed 28 of its 46 rebounds in the second half of play.
Senior Zamiya Passmore scored a team-high 20 points and was credited with four assists while graduate Brittney Stafford contributed 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line. Sophomore Ashlyn Sheridan netted 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and swatted four shots. Senior Nelliah Wilson scored 11 points and ripped down eight rebounds. Junior Diamond McDowell chipped in nine points, while grabbling 13 rebounds in the winning effort.
Carson-Newman/s Braelyn Wykle scored a team-high 20 points, scoring 18-points in the second period of play. Teammate Lindsey Taylor recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
For the game, Anderson shot 47.9% (34-71) from the field and 55% (11-20) from behind the three-point area.
Anderson finishes up the 2023 portion of the season when it travels to nonconference opponent Lander on Tuesday. Tip-off in Greenwood, S.C. is slated for 1:30 pm.
