Hickory, N.C. – Anderson University (7-5, 7-2) women's basketball team was upset by South Atlantic Conference opponent Lenoir-Rhyne (3-5, 2-4 SAC), 64-57, on Wednesday evening at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.
"Tough loss on the road, said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "As a coach I have to make better decisions in order to put our team in the best position to win."
Paced by sophomore Emily Harman's career high 39 points, Lenoir-Rhyne upset the Trojans to pick up its second SAC win of the season. Harman also chased down eight rebounds and dished out three assists. Teammate Brandi Hudson also reached double-digit scoring with a 12 point effort.
Anderson's Shameka McNeill dropped in 20 points, grabbed five rebounds and was credited with three steals. AU's Taylor Hair, Samantha Michel and Nelliah Wilson each chipped in eight points, while pulling down eight, seven and six rebounds, respectively. Hair was also credited with five assists and Michel with three blocks on the night.
Despite a slow start, Anderson came back in the first period and was able to tie the contest on a made 3-point basket at the buzzer by McNeil. The Trojans won the second and third quarter to take a four point lead into the fourth period.
The Bears used an 8-2 run to start the fourth period and take a 50-48 lead with six minutes left to play. Hair's layup tied the game at 50 with a quick basket exchange by LR's Harman and AU's Michel tied the game at 52 apiece.
Following a three minute scoring drought by the Black and Gold, LR was able to take a six-point lead with one minute to go. McNeill's layup with just under a minute cut the lead to four points.
Anderson had two good looks from behind the arc, but was unable to connect forcing the Trojans to foul. LR's Harman drained both foul shots to push the Bears lead back to six with seven seconds remaining.
Coming out of a timeout, AU's Hair drains a 3-point basket to close the gap to three points, 60-57. The Trojans stole the inbound pass, but unfortunately a timeout was called with none available, forcing Anderson to foul. LR's Harman went 4-of-4 from the line in the final three seconds to put the game out of reach.
Anderson closes out the year with a nonconference contest on Monday at Mount Olive. Tip-off is slated for 1 pm.
