HICKORY, N.C. – The Anderson men's basketball team never trailed, but is quickly using up its nine lives just in the month of December after surviving yet another close call by outpacing Lenoir-Rhyne, 77-74, in South Atlantic Conference action, Wednesday night at Shuford Memorial Gym.
Anderson (6-5, 4-5 SAC) opened a three-game road swing by winning its third straight decision, while Lenoir-Rhyne (3-6, 2-4 SAC) suffered its fourth straight loss and has dropped five of its last six outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Forward Parker Dortch was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the opening half and finished with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes of action. The Columbus, N.J., native wrapped up the night by going 10-of-13 from the field. Guard Crosby James II netted 16 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists, while Quin Nottingham scored 12 points, swiped a pair of steals and handed out seven assists.
Freshman guard Myles Jenkins added seven points and matched his season-high with six boards, with Jalen Hillery also chipping in seven points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Behind eight points from Dortch and six from Livingston, the Trojans built a 19-15 lead inside the opening six minutes of the contest and held the advantage from nearly the outset of the game.
Each time the Bears climbed within a single possession, AU had an answer which was typified by the final moments of the opening half. With the Trojans clinging to a 40-35 lead with less than two minutes on the clock, LR's Nas Tyson nailed his only 3-pointer of the night to pull the Bears within just a deuce.
But Nottingham answered with a jumper and James, who was 3-for-4 from long range in the first half, sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a trey from LR's Salle Wilson to give the Trojans a 48-41 cushion at the break.
Second Half
Less than three minutes into the second frame, Dortch stuck back his own miss to match AU's largest lead of the night, at 52-41, and the Trojans held at least a two possession lead until Tyson swiped a steal and dropped in a layup to get the Bears within 75-72 with 3:09 remaining in the game.
Dortch gave AU some breathing room with a layup of his own on the other end, with LR redshirt sophomore Jalen Johnson countering by connecting on a pair of free throws with 57.2 seconds left to trim the Trojan lead to 77-74 – and neither team would find the bottom of the net the rest of the way.
The Trojans came up empty-handed in a flurry of three quick possessions in a four-second span inside the final 26 seconds and following an LR timeout, Nottingham knocked the ball loose and Jenkins also got a hand on the ball before Johnson's game-tying 3-point attempt from the right side banged hard off the rim at the buzzer.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans were 20-of-29 (69.0%) from the field in the first half, which was second only to their 74.1% accuracy (20-of-27) in the first half against UVA Wise earlier this season.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans never trailed and led for nearly 39 minutes of the game.
• AU's 53.6% field goal accuracy for the game was their third-highest shooting percentage of the season.
• The Trojans claimed their first road win of the season.
• The Trojans and Bears have met 23 times, with Anderson holding a 14-9 edge in the series since the 2006-07 campaign.
• The Trojans have won six of the last seven meetings and seven of the last nine matchups with Lenoir-Rhyne.
• AU's record at Shuford Memorial Gym is now even at 6-6 all-time.
• The Trojans won the rebounding battle, 34-31.
• AU has connected on at least four 3-pointers in every game this season.
• The Trojans have recorded double-digit assists in four straight games.
• AU has swiped at least six steals in four consecutive games.
• Lenoir-Rhyne was 21-of-23 (91.3%) from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
The Trojans continue their three-game road swing by stepping out of conference action to visit Young Harris, Saturday afternoon. AU and YHC will be meeting for the first time since the 2015-16 season and just the fifth time in school history. Tip-off vs. the Mountain Lions in the Peach State is slated for 3 p.m.
Young Harris uses online ticketing for home athletic events. If tickets are not purchased in advance there will be a QR code at the door for fans to scan.
Link to buy tickets: //yhcathletics.com/tickets
