ROCK HILL, S.C. – Anderson University men’s basketball captured the program’s first South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship, defeating No. 3 Catawba, 75-72 in Rock Hill Saturday evening during the final round of the tournament.
The Trojans will play host to the opening round of the NCAA Division II Championship tournament this weekend. AU enters play as the No. 1 seed in the Southeast bracket and play No. 8 seed Young Harris College at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14.
“These guys keep making history.” said head coach Jimmie Williams. “Today we did something they will always remember, and we did it in true Anderson Trojan form. We battled. We got punched. We got up and we punched back harder.”
Anderson closed out the conference postseason at 29-2 overall and 20-2 in league play after securing the South Atlantic Conference regular season title. With the championship victory, the Trojans earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will host the NCAA Regional Championship next week.
Junior AJ Wright Jr. earned the title of SAC Tournament MVP while also being named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Rashawn Inglemon (Sacramento., Calif.) and Osmar Garcia-Araujo (Sugar Hill, Ga.) as announced by the league after Friday’s Semifinal matchup.
The championship matchup opened as a tight battle, with neither team creating separation early in the first half. Anderson’s offense surged past the Catawba Indians with a 7-0 run for a double-digit lead. Catawba answered in an attempt to shift the momentum in its favor, but the Trojans defense allowed Anderson to carry a narrow lead into the locker room at half.
The second half proved just as competitive, with both teams exchanging scoring runs throughout the period. Each time the Catawba Indians closed the large gap held by the Trojans, Anderson answered with timely buckets to maintain their narrow edge. The Black and Gold’s defense proved dominance in the final few minutes of the matchup to secure the victory.
“So proud of who these guys are as men.” added Williams. “Catawba is a really tough team that has so many weapons. We needed everybody today. The unity on this team is as strong as any team, I’ve been part of and it’s how we get through tough situations.”
Junior AJ Wright Jr. (Clearwater, Fla.) led the Trojans offensively in one of the bests games of his collegiate career. The Clearwater native put up 23 points on the board, tallying three assists and shooting 100% from the line for the second game in a row. Defensively, he posted four rebounds and four steals. Graduate Kadyn Dawkins (Greensboro, N.C.) put up 13 points while shooting 80% from the floor, 66.6% from deep and 100% from the line.
Following Dawkins for the Trojans double-digit scorers was Inglemon who recorded 12 points, shooting 40.0% overall, 50.0% from three and 100% from the charity stripe. He also grabbed six boards to help the Trojans with their final tally. Garcia-Araujo grabbed nine boards to lead the Black and Gold defensively. From the floor, he tallied 12 points and three assists all while shooting 50.0% from the field and 66.6% from the stripe.
The Trojans hold an edge over the Catawba Indians in most major statistical categories, shooting 40.0% from three and 82.4% from the charity stripe. The Black and Gold posted 34 points in the paint while notching 10 assists and six steals.
“Winning the regular season championship and the tournament championship is amazing, and it will be celebrated for a long time. We set out to do this, and we gave everything we had today to accomplish it. To God be the glory. I love this team.”