ANDERSON, S.C. – Behind a school-record 66.7 percent field-goal shooting percentage, the Anderson men's basketball team remained undefeated at home and earned its first South Atlantic Conference victory of the early season with a 104-95 win over UVA Wise, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
"Anytime you can get a win against a conference opponent it is a good win," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "We struggled defensively all night but we played our best 40 minutes of offense all season. The guys made shots and that can cover up for a lot of mistakes on the defensive end of the floor."
Anderson improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference with its third consecutive win over the Cavaliers, while improving to 3-0 at home. UVA Wise slipped to 0-4 and 0-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Forward Josh Livingston poured in a career-high 26 points on a perfect school-record 10-of-10 shooting from the field while going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. The Myrtle Beach native also pulled down seven rebounds. Crosby James added 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and connected of 4-of-5 from long range. He grabbed five rebounds and swiped two steals. Forward Parker Dortch notched 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while recording five rebounds.
Freshman Myles Jenkins came off the bench to score 18 points on 6-of-8 shootings, while corralling four caroms and swiping three steals. Guard Quin Nottingham scored 12 points, while going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe and dishing out a team-high five assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
UVA Wise jumped out to a 5-2 lead inside the first 47 seconds of the contest, but 16 seconds later Livingston's first 3-pointer of the afternoon knotted the score at 5-5 and James' layup at the 18:20 mark gave AU a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Mason Carver's trey with more than 17 minutes on the clock boosted the Trojans' advantage to double-digits (15-5) and the Cavaliers would get no closer than seven until the 6:18 mark, when the visitors capped an 11-0 run to climb within 36-33.
Jenkins countered by scoring five straight points to slow the Cavaliers and the Trojans took a 51-42 lead into halftime.
Second Half
The Cavaliers pulled within one on two occasions in the opening seven minutes of the second frame, but the Trojans stubbornly refused to surrender the lead and rebuilt a double-figure cushion (79-69) midway through the half.
The closest UVA Wise could get in the closing minutes was 90-86, but Livingston drained his third 3-pointer to keep the Cavaliers at bay.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The 66.7% field goal percentage eclipsed the previous school record (65.5%) set on Feb. 22, 2000 against Longwood, when the Trojans went 36-of-55 from the field.
NOTABLES
• Josh Livingston set a school record by going 10-for-10 from the field – he eclipsed former standout Christian Jeffords' mark of 92.3% (12-of-13) against Newberry on Dec. 10, 2016.
• The Trojans and Cavaliers were squaring off for just the fourth time in school history
• The Trojans own a 3-1 advantage in the brief all-time series between the two programs.
• The 104 points equaled the 104 points scored against Newberry on Dec. 10, 2016.
• The Trojans scored 106 points in a 30-point win over Mars Hill on Feb. 17, 2014.
• UVA Wise won the rebounding battle, 32-26.
• AU committed a season-high 18 turnovers, while forcing a season-high 16 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Trojans wrap up their brief two-game South Atlantic Conference homestand by playing host to their third nationally-ranked team in 12 days, when No. 7 Queens invades the Abney Center on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
