Anderson Claims First South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Program History

ROCK HILL, S.C. (theSAC.com) – The Anderson Trojans men's basketball team captured its first South Atlantic Conference Tournament title on Saturday, defeating Catawba 75-72 in the championship game. The Trojans entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and added three more wins to their ledger, giving them 29 on the season.

Anderson's AJ Wright Jr. was named Tournament MVP after scoring 23 points and adding four rebounds, four steals, and three assists in the title game. Rashawn Inglemon added 12 points, while Osmar Garcia-Araujo recorded 12 points and nine rebounds. Kadyn Dawkins chipped in 13 points in the victory.

Catawba was paced by Ibra Athie's 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Jordan Simpson's 16 points.

The back-and-forth first half featured seven ties and seven lead changes, with neither team leading by more than seven points. AJ Wright Jr. led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Catawba's Zion McDuffie scored with 1:04 left to cut Anderson's advantage to 42-41, but the Trojans closed the half strong. A four-point play in the final moments by Kadyn Dawkins capped a 6-0 run in the final 38 seconds, giving the top-seeded Trojans a 48-41 lead at the break.

Nine different players scored for Catawba in the first half, while Anderson's trio of Wright Jr., Rashawn Inglemon, and Kadyn Dawkins combined for 32 points.

Anderson's lead stood at 51-44 before Jordan Simpson sparked a Catawba run. Simpson scored six points over a three-minute span to key a 16-1 surge that gave the Indians a 60-52 advantage.

The Trojans responded in a major way. Back-to-back buckets by Wright Jr. highlighted an 18-0 run over 5:26 for the regular-season champions, as Anderson erased the eight-point deficit and surged ahead 70-60. Catawba would battle back and cut it to a one-possession contest but couldn't overcome the deficit. 

With the victory, Anderson earns the conference's automatic bid and will most likely be the region's top seed in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for tomorrow evening on NCAA.com.

All-Tournament Team
EJ Smith, Lincoln Memorial
Conrad Luczynski, Lenoir-Rhyne
Ibra Athie, Catawba
Jordan Simpson, Catawba
Osmar Garcia-Araujo, Anderson
Rashawn Inglemon, Anderson
AJ Wright Jr., Anderson – MVP