In the semifinal round of the SIAC basketball tournament, Tuskegee eliminated a similar opponent to keep its hopes of a championship sweep in play.
Meanwhile, the defending women’s champions remain in contention for a repeat after ending the season of a Cinderella.
Here is a recap of the SIAC tournament semifinals.
Women
Miles 62, Lemoyne-Owen 57
The defending champion Miles Golden Bears found their way back into the title game, beating Lemoyne-Owen 62-57 to end their Cinderella run.
Feliah Greer paced the Golden Bears with 20 points on 62% shooting from the field. Tederia Ashley followed closely behind, recording a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Kennedy Fuller was Lemoyne-Owen’s leading scorer, finishing with 20 points and two steals. Antieya Brown posted 18 points and six rebounds.
Despite what the final score may indicate, Miles found itself in the lead for over 80% of this contest.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half (ended down 36-27), Lemoyne-Owen began the second half on a 13-5 run to trim its deficit to one point.
That would be as close as they would come to regaining the lead, as Miles outscored Lemoyne-Owen 12-3 over the next seven minutes into the fourth quarter, giving them the cushion needed to get the win.
Tuskegee 60, Clark Atlanta 48
The Tuskegee Golden Tigers are returning to the SIAC championship game for the second time in three years.
Tuskegee won 60-48 over SIAC East division champion Clark Atlanta to qualify for the conference title game.
Hilani Cantone dropped 19 points and five rebounds for the Golden Tigers, followed by 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals from Syann Holmes.
Trinity Jones was the Panthers’ top performer, scoring a team-high 17 points. Corriana Evans has 14 points and eight rebounds.
Tuskegee never trailed in this game, outscoring Clark Atlanta 38-27 in the second half. Cantone scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half, including 10 points in the third quarter.
Men
Savannah State 53, Central State 48
Savannah State was the first men’s team to punch its ticket to the SIAC championship game, outlasting Central State down the stretch to come away with a 53-48 win.
Javonte Lundy powered his team to victory, recording 17 points and three steals. Qua King posted 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks while Jeremiah Barze had 10 points and six rebounds.
Brandon Scott scored 16 points for Central State, hitting four three-pointers, while Khalil Luster put up 11 points and four steals.
This game was separated by Savannah State’s ability to turn Central State’s turnovers into points on the opposite end of the floor.
The Tigers scored 20 points on 18 Central State turnovers compared to the Marauders’ 10 points on 17 Savannah State turnovers.
Tuskegee 68, Clark Atlanta 46
Like their women counterparts, the Tuskegee Golden Tigers clinched a spot in the SIAC championship game with a win over Clark Atlanta.
Tuskegee blitzed the defending SIAC champions, ending its hopes for a repeat in the opening minutes of the first half.
The Golden Tigers built a 17-6 lead in the first seven minutes and would maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
Kevin Sesberry scored a game-high 27 points for Tuskegee, hitting 82% of his shots from the field and six of seven three-point attempts.
Xavier Griffith was the Panthers’ top scorer, contributing 14 points and hitting three three-pointers.
Tuskegee is making its first SIAC championship appearance since last winning the conference title in 2014.
