Alissa Diaz scored a game-high 26 points and Anderson University
held Tusculum College to 23.7 percent shooting as the Trojans
defeated the Pioneers 68-49 in a South Atlantic Conference Women's
basketball game Wednesday night.
Diaz shot 8-for-14 from the field and made all 10 of her foul shots
for the Trojans (16-7, 10-3 SAC), who were 25-for-30 from the
free-throw line as a team in the game and moved into sole
possession of first place in the SAC with the win.
April McCann led the Pioneers (13-8, 7-6 SAC) with 16 points and a
game-high nine rebounds, but Tusculum went just 14-for-59 from the
field and 2-for-19 from three-point range as its three-game winning
streak was snapped. The Pioneers were also saddled with foul
trouble, with four players going on to foul out of the game.
The Trojans outscored the Pioneers by a 31-10 margin over a span of
15 1/2 minutes from the tail end of the first half through the
midway point of the second half, after a first half that saw six
ties and seven lead changes.
Both teams got off to a slow start from the field, with the
Pioneers holding a 13-10 lead midway through the first half
following a layup by Breaira Barksdale. After Anderson came back to
take several one- and two-point leads, Tusculum tied the game at
22-22 on two free throws by McCann with 4:01 left in the half.
From there, the Trojans took control as they closed the half on a
12-2 run to take a 34-24 lead to halftime. Diaz led the Trojans
with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first half, while McCann
had 12 points to pace the Pioneers.
As a team, Anderson shot 48 percent (12-for-25) from the field in
the first half, while the Pioneers connected on 27 percent
(7-for-26) as a team.
The Trojans built their lead to as many as 21 points at 53-32
following a jumper by Lesley Woods with 8:28 to play. Tusculum got
as close as 62-49 following two free throws by Barksdale with 1:45
left, but Anderson went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 90
seconds.
Both teams struggled from the field in the second half, as Anderson
slumped to 33.3 percent (8-for-24) while Tusculum fell off to 21.2
percent (7-for-33), including 0-for-7 from three-point range.
Tusculum finished the game with a 44-36 advantage in rebounding
over Anderson, including 20 offensive rebounds. However, the
Pioneers could only turn those second-chance opportunities into
eight points.
Diaz was the only player to reach double figures for the Trojans,
with Sierra Simpson next in the scoring column with eight points.
Tilde Ahlin and Amanda Parris had seven points each and Breonda
Shannon grabbed a team-best seven rebounds for Anderson.
Barksdale joined McCann in double figures for the Pioneers with 10
points before she fouled out after 28 minutes. Nequoiah Anderson
came off the bench to add nine points and five rebounds, and
Kristen McMillion added four points and seven boards.
The Pioneers will return home to face Catawba on Saturday at 2 p.m.
at Pioneer Arena. Admission will be free to all fans as part of the
annual "Pack The Arena" Day promotion.
