Denzail Jones scored
a game-high 29 points as 24th-ranked Anderson University fought off an upset
bid from Tusculum College Wednesday night, winning 75-72 in South Atlantic
Conference men's basketball action at Pioneer Arena.
Jones scored the final six points for the Trojans (19-4, 14-1 SAC), including a
three-point play with 28.9 seconds left that gave Anderson a 72-67 lead. Jones,
who also had a team-high eight rebounds, added two free throws with 13.7
seconds left and another with 6.5 seconds to play to give Anderson a six-point
lead at 75-69. Kevin Vest hit a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to bring
Tusculum within three, but Anderson was able to inbound the ball and ran out
the clock.
Vest led the Pioneers (8-15, 5-10 SAC) with 21 points, including 18 in the
second half, and dished out seven assists as Tusculum shot 50.9 percent
(28-for-55) from the field. However, the Trojans committed just eight turnovers
and went 8-for-19 from three-point range to come away with their fifth straight
win and 12th victory in their last 13 games.
Joining Vest in double figures for the Pioneers were Tommy Klempin, with 14
points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Justin Steigerwald who tallied 13
points. Nicholas Spinks just missed joining the trio in double figures,
finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with four rebounds and
three assists.
The first half was a see-saw affair that saw three ties and a whopping 10 lead
changes. Tusculum had an early three-point lead at 6-3 and Anderson led by as
many as seven points, including 41-34 heading into intermission. Jones was on
fire early for the Trojans, going 3-for-4 from three-point range and leading
all players with 17 points in the first half. Steigerwald and Klempin shared
the team lead for Tusculum with nine points in the opening half.
After seeing Tusculum pull within 47-45 on a layup by Vest with 15:14 to go,
Anderson went on a 13-3 run to take its largest lead of the night at 60-48 on a
three-pointer by Chandler Hash with 11:04 remaining. The Trojans still held a
double-digit lead at 64-54 with 6:21 left, but Tusculum reeled off seven points
in a row including five from Vest to cut the margin to 64-61 at the 4:55 mark.
Two free throws by Darius Carter trimmed the Anderson lead to 67-65 with 2:30
left, but Tusculum missed on tying and go-ahead shots with just over 90 seconds
left and Nick Trull canned two free throws to give Anderson a 69-65 lead with
1:08 to play. Vest answered with a layup with 51.8 seconds left as Tusculum
pulled within 69-67, but Jones got the roll on an out-of-control layup attempt
and drew the foul with 28.9 seconds remaining. His three-point play gave the
Trojans a five-point lead at 72-67.
Tusculum will play its final road game of the 2011-12 regular season Saturday
afternoon at Catawba, with tipoff slated for 4 p.m. from Goodman Gymnasium in
Salisbury, N.C.
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