Due West, SC – Playing before a passionate home crowd, the Flying Fleet (7-11 overall, 4-8 conference) snapped a 6-game losing streak by upsetting archrival Anderson University (13-5 overall, 7-5 conference) 62 to 56 at Belk Arena. Erskine’s defensive pressure kept the Trojans from gaining any offensive momentum throughout the game while offensively the Fleet got meaningful points from Jay Boulware (18 points) and Chris Gore (13 points).
Senior Jay Boulware (Chester, SC/Chester H.S.) staked Erskine to an early 5 to 3 lead after hitting a running jumper in the lane followed by a 3 point shot from the corner. Anderson recaptured the lead and held it until Jay Boulware made his second 3 pointer on the evening to give Erskine a 19 to 17 lead. Erskine stretched the lead to seven before finishing with a five point lead at halftime, 30 to 25.
The Fleet’s hopes of an upset appeared to dim midway through the 2nd half when Anderson’s Nick Trull drilled a 3 point shot, giving the Trojans a 41 to 40 lead. Following an Erskine timeout, Jay Boulware nailed a short jumper and, on Anderson’s next possession, fellow senior Brandon Wright (Goose Creek, SC/Goose Creek H.S.) stole the ball for an easy lay-up and reclaiming the lead for the Fleet. Anderson’s Brandon Young brought Anderson back within one again with a long-range 3 point shot. But Erskine’s Brandon Wright immediately answered with his own 3 point shot extending the Erskine lead back to four points at 53 to 49. Erskine converted their free throws down the stretch to win the game over archrival Anderson University 62 to 56.
Erskine’s defense limited the Trojans to shooting 33% from the field, including just 28% in the second half. The Trojans held a huge rebounding advantage at 41 to 29, including 17 offensive rebounds. Thankfully the Erskine defense limited the damage to just 13 2nd chance points for the Trojans.
Erskine’s Brandon Wright had a game-high 19 points, moving him to within 23 points of Erskine’s all-time scoring record of 1,937 held by Mike Jenkins (1966-1970). Jay Boulware finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Freshmen Chris Gore (Myrtle Beach, SC/Myrtle Beach H.S.) continues to improve his game in the absence of injured senior Marko Latinovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Phoenix JC), scoring 13 points and grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds.
The Trojans were led by Brandon Young with 13 points while teammates Stephen Cobb and Tony Anderson had 12 and 11 points respectively. Taylor Shugart grabbed an impressive 16 rebounds (game-high) for the Trojans.
Erskine hosts North Greenville University on Thursday at Belk Arena. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.