SAVANNAH, GA – The 2023 TIAA SIAC Basketball Tournament presented by Cricket Wireless brought a few upsets featuring a pair of men’s and women’s matchups at Savannah State University. Check out the recaps from the third day of SIAC Hoops action inside of Tiger Arena.
(Men)
#4E (Albany State), 70 v. Kentucky State, 83
Kentucky State opened the second round by defeating Albany State 83-70 in a midday contest inside the Tiger Arena.
Kentucky State’s guard Kong led all scorers with 21 points to help the Breds survive another day with a win over Albany State in the second opening round of matchups. Kong shot 100% from the field(8-of-8), three-point line (2-of-2), and at the free-throw line (3-of-3).
The Golden Rams went 3-of-4 from the field to take a 12-10 lead at 14:49 in the first half. A layup by Shamon Mosley led to an 11-2 run by Kentucky State at 9:15 in the first half.
The Thorobreds held a 37-31 lead over the Golden Rams going into halftime shooting a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line. Kentucky State was dominant in the paint scoring 20 points and holding the lead for a full 14 minutes in the first half.
In the second half, Albany State went on a nine-point run with 11:30 remaining in the contest. The Golden Rams shot 42.9 percent (15-of-35) from the field, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from beyond the arc. The Golden Rams were led by Malik Parker with 19 points and three rebounds. SIAC Freshman of the Year Terin Wofford added 10 points and three boards.
Up Next: Kentucky State will head to the quarterfinals, where they will play #1W Tuskegee on Wednesday, March 1 at 5 p.m.
#4W (Lane), 73 v. #5E (Clark Atlanta), 61
The Dragons jumped on Clark Atlanta early when Justin Sylver drilled a pull-up jumper just eight seconds into the game. Lane would lead from tip-off to final whistle as the margin grew to as many as 20 points en route to a 73-61 win over the Panthers.
Kelvin Allen led all scorers with 19 points while pulling in six rebounds. Sylver finished with 14 points and six boards while Maximillion Bell chipped in 11 points. Jesse Payne had 10 points to go along with four steals and three assists.
Clark Atlanta’s Justin Longstreet and Gwarren Douglas each added 13 points shooting over 60 percent from the free-throw line.
Up Next: Lane moves on to the quarterfinals where they will take on Morehouse College on Wednesday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
(Women)
#4E (Allen), 68 v. #5W (Central State), 79
#5W Central State toppled the #4E Allen 79-68 in the women’s basketball second round on Monday.
Central State had four players score in double figures led by SIAC First-Team All-Conference honoree, Kailyn Nash, with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dashanti Miller added 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Naomi Shorts finished with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Laurene Tere contributed 13 points, six boards, and two assists in the win.
Allen’s Keyshuna Fair, Destinee Jamison-Whitfield, and Ananda Mayhew scored 18, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Talayah Boxley grabbed nine rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
Up Next: Central State punched its ticket to the quarterfinals and will advance to face #1W Tuskegee on Wednesday, March 1 at noon.
#4W (Lane), 53 v. #5E (Albany State), 50
Brailyn Tate posted a double-double (14 points and 14 rebounds) and Kayla Simmons, SIAC All-Conference honoree, scored 18 points to lead the Dragons to a second-round victory over Albany State. The duo dominated in the paint as Lane outscored the Golden Rams 32-20 in that category. Simmons had a game-high 18 points while Tate scored 14 points and pulled in 14 rebounds.
The Dragons battled back in a close fourth quarter holding the Golden Rams at 11 points. In the final quarter, the Lane College Dragons shot 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free-throw line to push past Albany State in a 53-50 win.
During the close matchup, Milana Holmes of Albany State outscored all players with 23 points while adding nine rebounds. Ka’Shay Hankerson and Kayla Milner each added eight points. Despite the Golden Rams’ success in converting 25 of 26 of Lane’s turnovers into points, they came up short as Lane’s final three free throws sealed their win.
Up Next: The Dragons advance to the quarterfinals where they will face Clark Atlanta on Wednesday, March 1, at 2:30 p.m.
Courtesy: SIAC
