ROCK HILL— Lenoir-Rhyne Senior Tay Smith drained a jumper with two seconds remaining in overtime to beat Anderson 63-71in the SAC quarterfinals on Tuesday night at Rock Hill Sports & Events center.
The back-and-forth thriller featured 16 lead changes. The Bears shot just 57% from the free throw line and 41% from the field. Bears’ Ziare Wells’ double-double consisted of 15 points and 11 rebounds which led the team. Julian Dozier led the team with 16 points.
Dallas Jones led the Trojans with 17 points while Cole Middleton led the team in rebounds (9). Anderson’s (16-13, 12-12) middling season ended in disappointment, now all eyes turn to the transfer portal and retaining its young talent.
AND 28 36 7-71
LRU 31 33 9-73
AND (71): Jones 17, Middleton 11, Perez 11, Wright Jr 9, Webb 9, Reeves 5, McAbee 5, Repass 2, Moore 2
LRU (73): Dozier 16, Wells 15, Smith 15, Lucynski 12, Louis-Jeune 8, Martin 4, Hodnett 3
Three Pointers: AND 10-27, LRU 9-25
Free Throws: AND 17-22, LRU 8-14