Anderson scored its first victory of the season Wednesday when the Trojans outlasted Lincoln Memorial 61-58. Jonathon Barbaree's squad went scoreless for the game's final four minutes but was able to hold off the Railsplitters thanks to a defensive effort that saw Anderson hold LMU to 35.6 percent shooting. Through the season's first three games, low scoring defensive battles have been the patter for Anderson. Thus far, the Trojans are averaging just 56.3 points per game while no opponent has yet to reach 75 points. Since the season opener, Anderson has played without two key cogs in graduate student Shameka McNeill and reigning South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Samantha Michel. McNeill netted 13 points in the season opener while Michel has proven to be a thorn in the side of UVA Wise during her career. Last winter, Michel scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 79-66 regular season victory over the Cavaliers before scoring 12 points in just 13 minutes of action when the two schools met in the SAC Tournament.
The season opening four-game road trip comes to a close Saturday as UVA Wise will look to score its first ever victory over Anderson. Jamie Cluesman's team shot 48.4 percent from the field in Wednesday's loss at Limestone but were unable to overcome a 1-for-14 shooting performance from beyond the arc. Redshirt senior Kalee Johnson led the Cavaliers with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The forward enters the weekend with 1,042 career points. The number is 11 points shy of former teammate Cynita Webb who currently sits in 17th place on the school's all-time scoring list. Three other UVA Wise players tossed in double-figure scoring efforts at Limestone. Nia Vanzant (11), Jaymi Golden (11) and Caitlyn Ross (10) joined Johnson to form a balanced scoring effort. Defense proved to be troublesome Wednesday as Limestone connected on 21-of-42 shots from inside the arc. The Saints were also effective at drawing fouls as the Cavs were whistled for 24 fouls which led to 23 free throw attempts for Limestone.
