COLUMBIA, S.C. –Benedict College won its fifth straight game and knocked off the top team in the SIAC with an 88-77 victory over Paine College on Saturday afternoon in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.
Deonte Johnson had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tigers, who improved to 11-7 overall and 9-3 in the SIAC. Brennan Reynard also had a double-double with a team-high 19 points and 10 assists. Andrew Crawford and Jordan Smith chipped in 13 points each.
Denzel Dillingham led the Lions, now 14-5 overall and 10-2 in the SIAC, with 19 points. The Lions dropped their second straight game after starting 10-0 in the SIAC.
Benedict had a 42-35 lead at the half, but the Lions cut the lead to 46-44 with 15:52 left to play. The Tigers then went on a 13-3 run, capped off by a layup by Reynard, for a 59-47 lead with 12:32 left to play.
The Tigers went on an 11-0 run to push the lead to their largest of the game, 72-49, with 7:25 on the clock.
Seven straight points by the Lions cut the lead to 80-67 with 3:26 left to play, but the Tigers responded with the next six points for an 86-67 lead with 2:03 left. The Lions scored the final five points of the game to cut the final score to 11 points.
Benedict had a 42-28 rebounding advantage.
Benedict College
