Wingate, N.C.----The Anderson University Trojans went on a 21-2 first half run Saturday afternoon, holding off Wingate University 76-71 in South Atlantic men's basketball action in Cuddy Arena. The Trojans move to 9-17 overall and 7-11 in the SAC, while Wingate falls to 13-13 overall and 8-10 in league play.
Jeremy Bouton had 24 points to lead the Anderson offense, going 11-for-17 from the field.
Gage Ellis added 16 points, five rebounds and five steals, while
Maurice Howard contributed 14 points and seven assists.
Randall Shaw added nine points for the Trojans.
Junior guard
Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) had 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead the Wingate offense. Senior forward
Devarious Christian (Charlotte, N.C.) had 14 points and eight rebounds, going five-for-eight from the field, while senior guard
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 12 points, five boards and four assists. Junior guard
Emarius Logan (Columbia, S.C.) had 10 points and four assists, while sophomore center
Quantra Taylor (Indian Land, S.C.) had eight points and nine boards.
A Haskins three gave Wingate an early 12-4 lead, while a Taylor bucket and another Haskins triple made it 20-8 at the 11:43 mark. Anderson scored 21 of the next 23 points, taking a 29-22 lead on Shaw's four-point play at the 5:22 mark. Two free throws from
Andrew Boynton put the Trojans on top by nine with 1:52 left in the half, but a Lolar layup and two Christian free throws helped the 'Dogs get back within three. Howard's jumper in the final seconds gave Anderson a 39-34 halftime lead.
Howard's layup five minutes into the second half put the Trojans on top 48-40, but triples from Logan and Haskins got Wingate back within five. Bouton's three-point play at the 12:16 mark put Anderson back on top by eight, but threes from Lolar and
Kendrick Tucker (Roanoke, Va.) made it 56-54 with 11 minutes to go. A
Josh Livingston three helped the Trojans extend the lead back to eight at the 6:13 mark.
Wingate scored the next seven points, getting layups from Lolar and Taylor, along with a Lolar triple to make it 66-65 with 3:32 remaining. Taylor knocked down a pair of free throws to tie it with two minutes remaining, but an Ellis bucket made it 72-69 at the 1:15 mark. Christian's free throw with 23 seconds left made it a one-point game, but Howard and Shaw went four-for-four from the line in the final seconds to preserve the Anderson victory.
The Trojans shot 49 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-19 shots from three-point range (36.8 percent). The Bulldogs shot 41.7 percent from the field, connecting on 10-of-28 shots from beyond the arc (35.7 percent). Wingate held a 40-29 rebounding advantage, with an 18-4 edge in second chance points. Anderson converted 14 Wingate turnovers into 20 points.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, hosting Coker at 8 p.m.
