Williams Drops 27 in Second Half, Ravens Top Spartans

Anderson University men's basketball senior Ronny Williams dropped the entirety of his 27 points in the second half as the Ravens (2-1) topped Manchester University (2-2) 93-89 on Friday in North Manchester. The Anderson native also recorded seven assists and eight rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• There were three lead changes and seven ties in the first half.
• Anderson's largest first half lead came after a 3-pointer from Michael Rogers to put the Ravens ahead 39-30 with 3 minutes, 17 seconds remaining.
• After trailing 45-40 at halftime, Manchester opened the second half on a 10-0 run.
• Williams scored Anderson's next nine points to even the score at 54-all with 15:35 left.
• There were 14 lead changes and six ties in the second half, to total at 17 lead changes and 13 ties for the game.
• Cade Gentry knocked down a 3-pointer with 12:32 remaining to give the Ravens a 65-59 lead.
• The Spartans gained a 70-69 lead with 10:14 to go from a jumper from Cortiz Buckner.
• After trailing 73-76, Williams poured in Anderson's next 16 points to put Anderson ahead 89-88.
• Jordan Gadis provided a crucial layup with 48 seconds left to put the Ravens ahead 91-88.
• Williams knocked down two free throws with 14 seconds left to seal the victory.
• Five players scored in double digits for the Ravens.
• The Ravens drained 32-of-58 (55.2 percent) shots from the field while the Spartans made 27-of-57 (47.4 percent) shots from the floor.
• Anderson committed 19 turnovers while the Spartans turned the ball over 13 times. Manchester held a 21-17 advantage in points off turnovers.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ronny Williams: 27 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds
• Jordan Gadis: 14 points
• Francis Uzorh: 13 points
• Cade Gentry: 11 points
• Gavin Dowling: 11 points
• Michael Rogers: 9 points
• Camden Smith: 6 points
• Phil Bessick: 2 points

COACH HANDY'S COMMENTS

• This was a really tough win. I don't think we played particularly well. We lost a lot of guys defensively and Manchester made us pay with their shot making. We turned it over way too much. But when we made mistakes we just kept competing.
• Ronny Williams was simply sensational in the second half. He got into foul trouble in the first half, but came out of the locker room with something to prove.
• We have such a young group. This is all a part of learning how to win. We've got to have better defensive discipline. We've got to commit to helping and trust teammates. We've got to have a feel for when to run clock and make sure the ball gets to the paint at the offensive end. That will all come with experience. In the meantime, the character and toughness we showed is really encouraging.

UP NEXT

The Ravens and the Spartans tangle again on Saturday at 1 p.m. in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.