Top-Seeded Trojans Earn Finals Berth with 63-52 Win Over No. 4 Seed Catawba in SAC Women's Hoops Semifinals
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Using a late second-half run, top-seeded Anderson held off No. 4 seed Catawba, 63-52, in the first semifinal contest of the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Championship, Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
In the first-ever meeting between the two teams in the SAC Tournament, the Trojans were looking to earn their second SAC Tournament title in three seasons after capturing the 2013 championship, while Catawba entered the contest searching for its sixth overall appearance in the championship contest, and first since 2012.
Anderson (25-3) making its third consecutive SAC Tournament semifinal appearance and ranked 18th nationally in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, claimed its 18th straight victory, while winning its second straight over the Indians.
Catawba slipped to 18-11, while making its first appearance in SAC semifinals since 2012, and had its three-game win streak halted. The Indians, ranked ninth in the most recent NCAA Southeast Region rankings, will learn their postseason fate on Sunday, with the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for 10 p.m.
Anderson junior Jasmine Franklin led all scorers with a career-high 29 points, including 15 in the second half. Senior Sierra Simpson, the SAC Player of the Year, added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Trojans.
Conference Freshman of the Year, Terri Rogers from Catawba, posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Fellow freshman Bri Johnson, a Second-Team All-SAC honoree, netted 13 points, while sophomore Jada Huntley added 11 points, including nine in first half.
With the teams experiencing tourney jitters and opening cold from the field, as both squads started the contest 2-for-14 from the field. AU's Franklin broke the ice by dropping in a layup with 18:12 on the clock, with Huntley responding for the Indians to give Catawba a 3-2 edge moments later.
The Indians opened a four-point lead twice inside the first eight minutes, but Franklin's 10th point of the opening half with 11:30 on the clock gave the Trojans a 12-10 advantage - their first since the opening basket. Huntley again answered for Catawba, scoring four straight to regain a narrow, 14-12, lead for the Indians midway through the half.
With the score knotted at 14 apiece, Rogers and Chloe Bully scored seven unanswered points for the Indians, as Catawba pushed out to its largest lead of the half, at 21-14, with just more than six minutes remaining in the half.
Anderson chipped away behind Franklin and Lesley Woods to climb within 25-24 at the 3:11 mark and took a 26-25 lead on Simpson's layup, but Rogers replied with a layup on the other end to give Catawba a one-point advantage with 1:48 on the clock and the Indians took a 28-27 halftime lead.
The Trojans then scored six unanswered points as part of a 17-3 run to take their largest lead to that point at 47-42 with less than eight minutes left
Anderson advances to meet the winner of the No. 3 seed Newberry/No. 7 seed Lenoir contest, slated for later Saturday afternoon. The tournament championship is slated for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
