ANDERSON, S.C. – Guard Myles Jenkins led four Trojans in double figures with a career-high 27 points, but the Anderson men's basketball team dropped a 95-86 decision to Wingate in South Atlantic Conference play Wednesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
"I was proud of our effort tonight," said Anderson head coach Jimmie Williams. "We stayed the course tonight and I'm proud of our bench. Mason (Carver) is always ready and plays starter minutes, but tonight was about Ian Thomson. He is exactly what this program is founded on. He has been going about his business working hard waiting for this opportunity. Tonight, he showed he belongs. We had three starters foul out. We needed him to be ready and he sure was. Good life lesson to work while you wait."
Anderson fell to 2-9 overall on the season and 0-2 in league action, while Wingate improved to 6-3 and 3-0 with its fourth straight win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Jenkins netted his career effort behind 9-of-15 accuracy from the field, while going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. The sophomore from Lexington also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, while also handing out three assists. Junior guard Garrett Denbow added 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while sophomore guard Jacksen Greco netted 14 points on 6-of-7 accuracy from the field.
Freshman guard Luke Denbow tallied 11 points, with senior guard Mason Carver recording seven points and dishing out a game-high, career-high seven assists, while grabbing five rebounds.
Wingate's Andreas Wilson came off the bench to lead four Bulldogs in double figures with 23 points. Junior guard Donell Nixon II added 18 points and sophomore guard Destin Clark had 17. Senior guard Jarren Cottingham finished with 16 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Behind Greco's four early points and Jenkins' five, including a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner with just less than 16 minutes left in the opening half, the Trojans claimed an early 9-6 lead.
Mack Burgett's two free throws at the 13:57 mark capped a 10-2 outburst by the Trojans, as they doubled up Wingate, at 16-8, before the Bulldogs whittled AU's advantage to just two on two occasions.
But a rare three-point play - on a combination of a Greco layup and an Ian Thomson free throw after Greco suffered an injury while drawing the foul - slowed the 'Dogs, and back-to-back treys by Garrett Denbow – first from the left side then from deep in the right corner – gave the Trojans their largest lead of the night (30-19) with 8:21 showing on the clock.
Behind a 53 percent shooting accuracy, the Trojans still led by 11 with less than five minutes left in the half, but Wingate used an 8-2 spurt as part of a larger 14-3 surge to claim its first lead since the 18:02 mark, at 43-40.
Garrett Denbow answered for the Trojans by sandwiching his third and fourth 3-pointers of the half around a Cottingham layup to give AU a 46-45 halftime edge.
Second Half
The Trojans quickly pushed their lead to six inside the first two minutes, but the Bulldogs bounced right back and the score was knotted three times before Cottingham and Wilson combined to give Wingate a 64-60 lead and an advantage that the 'Dogs would not relinquish the rest of the night.
After falling behind by seven with less than eight minutes on the clock, Luke Denbow's old-fashioned three-point play and his ensuing layup 37 seconds later pulled AU within 76-74, but the Trojans were unable to get any closer, with Wingate's lead hovering between six and 12 down the stretch.
"It's tough when they're in the double bonus so early," added Williams. "It's frustrating, and hard to get into a rhythm. I'm still learning how to best coach what a foul is and what a foul isn't. Tonight there were a lot of whistles, so there were a lot of chances to learn about fouling - 29 fouls in a game seems high to me. I know this, I love our team. I'm excited to get back to practice tomorrow.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans were 29-of-51 from the field, for a season-best 56.9% accuracy, and matched their season-high 44.0% accuracy (11-of-25) from beyond the arc.
NOTABLES
• Myles Jenkins posted his second double-double of the season.
• The Trojans have dished out double-figure assists in 10 consecutive games, including a season-best 19 against Livingstone.
• The 48 combined fouls whistled on both teams equaled last Saturday's 48 fouls called in the Livingstone contest, with the total marking a season-high.
• The Trojans had three players foul out for the first time this season.
• AU won the rebounding battle, 32-31, but Wingate turned 14 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points.
• AU has posted double-digit 3-pointers in three straight games, including a season-high 16 treys against Livingstone.
• The Trojans and Bulldogs have met 32 times since the 2001-02 season.
• history.
• Wingate holds a 23-9 edge in the all-time series.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will look to get back in the win column when they wrap up their longest homestand of the season by welcoming Lenoir-Rhyne to the Electric City on Saturday. Tip-off vs. the Bears is slated for 4 p.m. at the Abney Center.
