ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson men's basketball team blistered the nets early and finished with five players in double figures in the scoring column, as the Trojans returned to the hardwood and made its home debut a success by rolling past Limestone, 103-74, in South Atlantic Conference action, Monday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
"I am very proud of the effort tonight," said Anderson head coach Jeff Brookman. "There is still a lot of room for improvement on both sides of the ball, but we did a great job of sharing the ball on the offensive end. We have had to fight through a lot of adversity over the past month. The guys have been very focused since our return from Christmas. We will enjoy this one for a few hours and then it's on to the next game."
With the contest marking Anderson's first contest in 43 days, the Trojans (1-1, 1-1 SAC) showed little rust from the layoff, while leading wire-to-wire. AU earned its second straight win over Limestone after snapping a three-game skid at the hands of the Saints last season.
Limestone slipped to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in league action.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior forward Josh Livingston led all players with 18 points, including 14 in the first half. The Myrtle Beach native was 8-of-12 from the field on the night. Junior Jalen Hillery added 13 points and five rebounds, with junior guard Kai Rivers posting a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out three assists. Senior guard Quin Nottingham tallied 11 points, while junior guard Joseph Staton netted 10 points and pulled down three boards. Sophomore guard Crosby James scored eight points and handed out a game-high six assists. Senior guard Alex Keel came off the bench to drop in eight first-half points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Behind their red-hot shooting, the Trojans jumped out to an early lead and pushed their advantage to a double-digit, 18-8, edge on a pair of free throws from James less than six minutes into the contest.
The Saints trimmed AU's cushion to seven on a pair of occasions, but AU used a 12-4 outburst to claim a 34-19 lead at the 6:54 mark and went on to led by as many as 19 points late in the half.
Second Half
The Trojans sustained their hot shooting through the second frame, while building a 96-61 advantage with less than seven minutes left in the contest.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans were a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw stripe inside the opening six minutes and did not miss a field goal attempt until the 14:06 mark of the first half.
NOTABLES
• AU turned 12 Limestone turnovers into 23 points.
• With tonight's game, the Trojans began a stretch of eight contests in 20 days, including five in nine days.
• The Trojans improved to 11-4 in home openers over the past 15 seasons.
• The 103 points were the most points scored since posting 104 points against Newberry during the 2016-17 season.
• AU reached the century mark for the first time since scoring 100 points against North Greenville and posting 101 points against Lincoln Memorial during the 2018-19 campaign.
• The 21 assists eclipsed last year's season-high 20 assists against UVA Wise and were just one shy of the 2018-19 campaign's season-high 22 assists in a win over North Greenville.
• The Trojans won the rebounding battle, 42-35, and pulled down 11 offensive boards.
• The Saints struggled from long range, going 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, but connected on 7-of-15 in the second stanza.
UP NEXT
Anderson is slated to visit preseason league-favorite and nationally second-ranked Lincoln Memorial, Wednesday night. Tip-off at Tex Turner Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. The Trojans then open a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon.
