ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson (S.C.) University Men's Basketball Team (15-11, 11-11 SAC) ran out to a 16-point halftime lead, but had to fend off a late Emory & Henry University (6-21, 4-19 SAC) rally to earn the South Atlantic Conference win Saturday afternoon. The Trojans escaped with a 79-74 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Anderson (S.C.) 79, Emory & Henry 74
LOCATION – Anderson, South Carolina
VENUE – Abney Athletic Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (6-21, 4-19 SAC); Anderson (15-11, 11-11 SAC)
How It Happened
- The two teams were level at 5-5 through the opening two and half minutes of play, but the Trojans utilized a 12-4 run over the following six and a half minutes to give themselves some cushion at 17-9. The Wasps managed to pull back within four points on back-to-back layups from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) at the 9:22 mark. AU finished the opening half on a 19-7 scoring run to take a 38-22 lead into the locker room.
- The Trojans were on the front foot to start the second stanza as they pushed their advantage out to its largest of the game at 46-29 with 14:33 remaining. The Wasps would not go down without a fight, as they slowly worked their way back into the contest on the back of a 17-3 run to pull within just three points at 49-46 with 10:25 to play. The home team saw their lead balloon back out to double digits, but once more the visitors from Emory battled back to reduce the deficit to just five at 67-62 at the 2:35 mark on a tip-in from junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Anderson was just too much for the Wasps down the stretch as they converted clutch free throws to eke out the 79-74 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) led the Wasps with a team-high 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Drummer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) tied his season-high with 12 points, three rebounds and a steal.
- Dixon finished with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals while Madassalia added nine points, six boards and a blocked shot.
Anderson Individual Leaders
- Austin Webb had a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds, two steals and an assist while Jackson Greco went for 15 points and a pair of rebounds.
- Cole Middleton posted 13 points and three boards. Andre Wright, Jr. registered 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win for the Trojans.
A Deeper Look
- The Trojans shot 48.1% (26-for-54) from the field and went 5-for-19 from deep. The Wasps finished 26-for-67 (38.8%) overall and converted 20% (6-for-30) from beyond the three-point arc.
- Both teams made many trips to the free throw line as AU was 22-for-29 (75.9%) while E&H shot at a 84.2% (16-for-19) clip.
- AU outrebounded the Wasps by a 40-31 margin and held a narrow 13-10 advantage on second-chance points.
- The Wasps took care of the basketball as they committed just six turnovers during the game compared to 11 for the Trojans.
- Both teams' benches had big contributions with the Trojans and Wasps reserves posting 35 and 32 points respectively.
Up Next
- The Wasps play their final game of the regular season on Thursday, February 27 when they host the Saints of Limestone University. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the John Rutledge King Center.
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