Anderson Drops Nail-Biter to Manchester

The Anderson University men's basketball team (8-4, 3-2) fell in a nail-biter on Wednesday night in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium to Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) foe Manchester University Spartans (4-8, 3-2) by a final score of 87-84.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Anderson came out strong out of the tip-off as Fred Shropshire opened the game with a three, followed by a Maurice Knight three, to get off to a 6-0 start.
• Manchester would then spend the next three minutes to come back and tie the game at 6-6 before taking a 9-6 lead after Quentez Columbus made a bucket.
• From there on out for the remainder of the game, the Ravens and Spartans would battle till the end, going back and forth for a total of 15 lead changes.
• With less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the Ravens went on a 9-0 run starting at 9:34 with two Maurice Knight free throws, to 7:44 with a Francis Uzorh layup. At this point, the Ravens came from behind to take a 25-21 lead.
• Every time the Ravens seemed to make progress offensively and take the lead, the Spartans would immediately answer to tie it back up. This would go on into the final minute of the half.
• With 52 seconds remaining in the half, the Spartans Brandon Christlieb drained a three to tie the game 37-37. After a Raven timeout, a steal by Maurice Knight gave the Ravens the ball, after an initial missed layup, Camden Smith would tip the ball in to give the Ravens a 39-37 lead with 19 seconds left. Then, with just 5 seconds remaining in the half, Christlieb hit another three to give the Spartans the lead. Manchester led Anderson 40-39 at halftime.
• The second half was no different from the first as the teams continued to battle for the lead.
• Manchester started the second half building upon their lead before Anderson was able to tie it up 43 a piece with 17:08 left after Fred Shropshire made a jump shot. Francis Uzorh then gave the Ravens the lead with a layup.
• With 8:47 remaining in the game, the Spartans took the lead for the final time, although the Ravens continued to put up a tough fight up until the final buzzer.
• In the final 37 seconds of the game, the Spartans recorded seven points while the Ravens recorded six to come within three.
• The final 10 seconds saw the Spartans secure the 87-84 victory, but not without the Ravens effort as Anderson fired off two three-point chances that fell just short.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Anderson finished the game 34-of-67 (50.7 percent) from the field, while Manchester went 29-of-62 (46.8 percent) from the floor. Both teams ended the game shooting 33.3 percent from the three with Anderson going 7-of-21 and Manchester going 8-of-24.
• Off the bench, the Ravens picked up 21 points.
• Maurice Knight recorded a double-double to end the night, recording a team high of 34 points and 10 rebounds. Knight also contributed one assist, two steals, and one block.
• Camden Smith came off the bench and fell just shy of a double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds. Smith picked up three assists and one steal as well.
• Fred Shropshire also provided double-digit scoring, coming up with 13 points, three rebounds, and one steal.

COACH OWEN HANDY'S COMMENTS

• This is a really disappointing loss. We have been a tough defensive team this year and we permitted a conference opponent to come in to our home gym and score 87 points. There really isn't much more to say about it than that.

UP NEXT

Anderson returns back to O.C. Lewis Gymnasium on Saturday to welcome the Franklin College Grizzlies (7-5, 3-2). Tip-off between the Ravens and Grizzlies is set for 3 p.m. following the women's game.