Tuskegee beats Benedict 68-67
Freshman forward Joshua Culver scored just five points the entire game, but his final three points of the contest were the biggest as Tuskegee defeated Benedict 68-67 on the road Saturday afternoon in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at HRC Arena.
Leading 63-60 with 3:28 remaining, Tuskegee (6-4, 2-1 SIAC) fell behind on successive possessions by Benedict (8-4, 3-1 SIAC) as the Tigers took a 65-63 lead with 1:39 to play in the game. Senior Camden Foster tied the game at 65-all when he knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:21 remaining, before Quayshun Hawkins hit a jumper to put Benedict back up 67-65 with 50 seconds to play.
That is where Culver and the Golden Tigers answered.
The sophomore took a pass from fellow freshman, Daniel Roach, with 35 seconds to play and tied the game at 67-all. Following a missed three-pointer from Hawkins, the Golden Tigers Elijah McMillan grabbed the defensive rebound setting up the final possession for Tuskegee.
Foster missed a three-pointer with just four seconds remaining, however, Culver grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The freshman hit the second of two free throws, giving Benedict a chance with just three seconds remaining but their final shot rimmed out for the Tuskegee victory.
Foster led three players in double figures for Tuskegee with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including connecting of 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Austin Cherry added 14 off the bench – connecting on 4-of-7 three-pointers – while Kevin May added 13 points and a season-high eight assists.
The Golden Tigers shot 52.1 (25-of-48) percent from the floor and 40 (12-of-30) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 60 (6-of-10) percent from the free throw line, while winning the rebounding battle 32-25.
Christopher Spencer led Benedict with 15 points, while Hawkins added 14 and Brennan Reynard 13 in the loss.
KSU holds on for 86-83 win at Fort Valley State
FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Playing its first game in nearly a month, the Kentucky State men’s basketball team held off Fort Valley State to come away with an 86-83 road victory on Saturday.
Malcolm Smith led the way for the Thorobreds with a game-high 24 points while also pulling down eight rebounds. Tryston Ford added 19 points, while Julius Barton chipped in 14, including 12 in the first half as Kentucky State built its lead. Dareial Franklin and Ralph Wilson each had 20 points to lead Fort Valley State.
The game was tied just briefly at 2-2, and Kentucky State led the rest of the way. The win didn’t come easily for the Thorobreds, however, as Fort Valley State gradually cut into a Kentucky State lead that had been as many as 18 points, eventually pulling within one possession in the game’s final minute. Though Fort Valley State got the ball back after a missed free throw with 11 seconds left, they were unable to get off a final shot to tie the game.
Kentucky State took control of the game early, holding the Wildcats scoreless over a four minute stretch while putting together a 14-0 run to go up 21-4. Later in the half, the Thorobreds built their lead to as many as 18 points after a Barton free throw made the score 33-15.
Kentucky State took a 45-32 lead to halftime, but the Wildcats opened the second half with a 13-3 surge over the first five minutes, cutting the lead to one possession. Five straight points by Smith helped the Thorobreds push the lead back out to 72-57 with just under nine minutes to play, giving them just enough of a cushion to hold on down the stretch.
Kentucky State shot 45 percent (33-of-74) from the field and 32 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range, while Fort Valley State shot 42 percent (25-of-60) overall and 28 percent (5-of-18) from outside. The Wildcats held a 47-44 rebounding advantage and turned the ball over 21 times to Kentucky State’s 16.
Kentucky State pulls even at 4-4 on the season and improves to 3-1 in SIAC competition, while Fort Valley State drops to 2-11 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
Foul shots the difference in win for Claflin
Orangeburg, S.C. – Adolph Caldwell came off the bench to score 19 points and the Panthers hit nine free-throws down the stretch as Claflin University upended Winston-Salem State University 81-77 at the Tullis Arena.
The victory, Claflin’s second in a row, move the Panthers season record to 5-7.
Karee Watson and De’shon Nails also scored in double-figures for the Panthers with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Watson also had a game-high 10 rebounds for Claflin.
Ryan McNeill-Moses, Austin Lawton and Triston Thompson contributed eight points each.
Winston-State, which dropped to 6-5, was led by Demone Harrison with a game-high 23 points and Terrell Leach with 21.
With 1:44 left in the game, Caldwell broke a 70-70 tie with a basket, putting Claflin ahead for good at 72-70. The Panthers sealed the win by connecting nine-of-14 from the charity stripe in final 1:12 minutes.
Winston-Salem pulled 79-77 with a second left, by Patrell Rogers was successful on a pair of free throws.
