PHOTO GALLERY

Wingate, N.C.----The Anderson University Trojans used an 18-4 run in the game’s final moments to open up a close game, notching a 70-54 victory over host Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. The Trojans win their seventh consecutive game to close the opening half of SAC regular season play undefeated, improving to 14-3 overall and 9-0 in the conference. Wingate falls to 10-9 overall and 6-3 in the SAC.

Senior center Taylor Shugart (Rock Hill, S.C.) had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Anderson attack. Senior guard Nick Trull (Charlotte, N.C.) added 14 points and six boards for the Trojans, while senior guard Jo’el Lamb (Atlanta, Ga.) added nine points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Jaime Vaughn (Tallahassee, Fla.) had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead the Wingate attack. Junior guards Eddie Lewis (Rocky Point, N.C.) and Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added nine points each, while junior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) had eight points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Anderson jumped out to a 13-5 lead five minutes into the contest on jumper by Trull. The ‘Dogs answered with an 11-2 run to take a 16-15 advantage at the 12:22 mark. Junior guard Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) started the spurt with a triple, while a Lewis three gave Wingate its only lead of the night. The Trojans scored the next seven points to push the advantage back to six on a lay-up from Lamb with 8:54 remaining in the half.

Back-to-back jumpers from Vaughn trimmed the deficit to two at the four-minute mark. A Matilus jumper made the contest a one-point game, but AU sophomore guard Chandler Hash (Greer, S.C.) answered with a three to push the lead back to four with two minutes to go. Vaughn drained a deep three to make the score 36-35 going to halftime.

The lead would remain below five for the first 10 minutes of the second half. A triple from Lewis at the 12:11 mark tied the game at 44. Anderson scored the next seven points to take a 51-44 advantage. The flurry was capped by jumpers from Shugart and Trull. Lay-ups from Vaughn and freshman forward Mike Tyson (Kinston, N.C.) made it a three-point game with eight minutes remaining. Two more Shugart jumpers pushed the lead back to seven at the five-minute mark.

Two free throws from Vaughn made the score 55-50 with 4:54 to go. The Trojans would then go on the game-changing run, starting with two free throws from junior guard Denzail Jones (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and a lay-up from sophomore forward Kyle Sledge (Powder Springs, Ga.). Two more free throws from Jones put the lead in double figures, while two more Shugart jumpers made the margin 67-52 with 53 seconds remaining in the game.

Anderson shot 36.9 percent from the field, while knocking down four-of-19 from three-point range (21.1 percent). Wingate shot 33.9 percent from the field, hitting six-of-19 from beyond the arc (31.6 percent). Wingate shot only 23.1 percent in the second half, scoring 19 points. The Trojans held a 48-34 rebounding advantage and outscored the Bulldogs in the paint 38-18. Anderson also had 14 second chance points, while the Trojan bench outscored Wingate’s reserves 37-17. Anderson also knocked down 18-of-21 free throws on the night (85.7 percent).

Wingate returns to action Saturday, hosting fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial at 4 p.m. The Trojans host Brevard Saturday at 4 p.m.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)