Birmingham, Ala. — Clark Atlanta might’ve entered into the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament as a No. 5 seed, but they played like the favorite in Monday night’s game against LeMoyne-Owen winning 70-60.
The win earns CAU a birth in the second round of the tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Derek Harper had 17 points and two steals for the Panthers, with Najee Whitehead adding 14 points and four assists. Rashawn Brown led the Magicians with 20 points.
Clark Atlanta (7-20) was out to get a little revenge along their way to the second round after LOC won in Epps Gymnasium back in early January, 82-69.
The Panthers pounced on the Magicians early on, allowing LeMoyne-Owen to lead the game for just 21 seconds. Clark Atlanta would head into halftime with a nine-point edge, and would quickly increase that to 15-points in the first three minutes of the final frame.
LeMoyne-Owen would not surrender at any point as Clark Atlanta opened up an 18-point lead with just 5:55 remaining in the contest, as they went on a 14-to-0 run to cut the lead to just four with just three minutes remaining.
After a timeout to stop the run, the Panthers were able to combine timely shooting with solid defense to complete the victory.
The second round of the tournament will see Clark Atlanta take on top-seeded Paine College, a team that they have lost both contests to this season by a combined eight points, including a 125-120 PC victory over CAU back in January.
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