Anderson, S.C.—For the second straight game, sophomore Jalyn Spurlin scored a career high to help lift Anderson University women's basketball team over South Atlantic Conference opponent Limestone, 67-61, on Wednesday evening at the Abney Athletic Center. The Trojans move to 2-1 overall and 2-1 in South Atlantic Conference play, while the Saints fall to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in conference action.
"Another grinding type of win tonight," said head coach Jonathon Barbaree. "Again, this season is a 'you're never going know when your number is gonna be called, kind of season'. Each game we are learning new things and that's how it's going to be all year."
"When we put all the pieces together we're going to be scary good," added Barbaree.
KEY STATS
- Anderson shot 34.4 percent from the field on the day, Limestone shot 32.9 percent.
- The Trojans shot 27.3 percent (six-for-22) from three-point range, the Saints shot 19.0 percent (four-for-21) from beyond the arc.
- Anderson outrebounded the Saints 52-42.
- The Black and Gold hit 19-of-27 (70.4%) at the free throw line, while Limestone went 7-for-8 (87.5%).
KEY TROJANS
- Jalyn Spurlin had 24 points, six rebounds and one steal.
- McKenzie Gadson contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot.
- Taylor Hair recorded a double-double with 11 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
- Britney Bailey hit 3-of-4 free throws, two steals, one assist and one rebound in the final two minutes of action.
NOTES
- Spurlin's 24 points was a career-high.
- Anderson's largest lead was nine points at the 3:32 mark in the first period.
- The game featured six ties and nine lead changes.
- Anderson won its 35th straight regular season home game.
FIRST QUARTER
- Anderson outscored Limestone 16-14.
- Hair's jumper with 3:32 to play gave the Trojans its largest lead of the game at nine.
- The Saints went on a 10-3 run to close out the quarter to trail by just two points.
SECOND QUARTER
- Limestone took the lead, 18-16, on a made jump shot by Aaliyah Foxx-Rome at the 9:05 mark.
- Spurlin's layup and made free throw put AU back ahead, 19-18 with 8:30 to go.
- Limestone went on a small scoring lull with AU's Gadson draining two foul shots, followed by 3-point basket by Spurlin to give the Trojans a, 28-23, lead at the media timeout.
- The Saints narrowly outscored the Trojans, 9-8, over the final 4:11 to set the halftime score at, 36-32.
THIRD QUARTER
- Limestone outscored the Trojans 18-15 in the third frame.
- The Trojans first basket of the period came at the 7:26 mark on a Spurlin jump shot.
- The Saints tied the game, 40-40, with 5:43 to go in the third stanza.
- AU's Xan Rowland drained a 3-point basket with 2:15 remaining to give the Trojans a, 48-46, lead.
- After a back and forth couple of minutes, AU's Gadson made a layup to give the Trojans a one point advantage, heading into the fourth quarter, 51-50.
FOURTH QUARTER
-The Trojans and Saints swapped free throws in the seventh minute of action to keep the one-point lead in favor of AU, 52-51.
- Gadson's 3-point basket at the 7:02 mark and Spurlin's 3-pointer at the 5:47 mark pushed AU's lead to, 58-53.
- Spurlin's 3-point dagger with 4:29 to play helped give AU the cushion they needed to secure the victory.
-The Black and Gold made 4-of-6 fouls shots over the final 3:44.
UP NEXT
-The Trojans will host SAC foe Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 2 pm.
