BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) kicked off their opening rounds for the 2018 SIAC Basketball Tournament.
Game 1 (Men): No. 5 Fort Valley State 88, No. 4 Miles 82
Jamaal Garror led the Wildcats in scoring as he led them to their first win over Miles Golden Bears, 88-82, to kick off the 2018 SIAC Basketball Tournament at Bill Harris Arena. Tyler Edwards (24) and Jaylon McMillan (16) trailed closely behind, both scoring in double-digits. Walter Foster, who made the SIAC All-Conference Team, led the Wildcats in rebounds as he posted 13 during the opening game. Garror posted his first double-double in the tournament as he finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats are scheduled to face No. 1 Morehouse Maroon Tigers on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 1:00 p.m. CST as they advance to the quarterfinals. The Golden Bears finished their season with a 7-20 overall record.
Game 2 (Women): No. 4 Miles 66, No. 5 Fort Valley State 45
Ashley McCrear and Amoni Walker led the Lady Bears to their first win in the opening round of the tournament as they both posted a game-high 14 points. Miles (9-20) shot 50.0 percent from behind the arc and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line in their 66-45 win over Fort Valley State. McCrear posted her first double-double of the tournament as she posted 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Golden Bears. Fort Valley’s Alicia Franklin scored 17 of the Lady Wildcats points while Nola Carter followed closely with 11 points. Fort Valley was held to shooting 21.8 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from the 3-point line. Fort Valley Lady Wildcats finish their season 4-23. Miles Lady Golden Bears will advance to face Clark Atlanta Lady Panthers on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. CST.
Game 3 (Men): No. 4 Benedict 72, No. 5 LeMoyne-Owen 69
Three players finished in double digits in scoring as Benedict Tigers defeated the LeMoyne-Owen Magicians, 72-69. Cairo Brown led his team in scoring with 22 points as Brandon Morris (19) and Jelani Watson-Gayle (12) followed closely behind. The Tigers averaged 41.0 percent from the field while shooting 62.3 percent from the free-throw line. Morris managed a double-double in the opening game as he posted 19 points and 13 rebounds. As the game continued, LeMoyne-Owen improved their field shooting from 34.6 percent in the first half to 55.6 percent in the second half allowing them to gain on the Tigers. Four players managed double-digit scoring for the Magicians, but came up short against the Tigers. Benedict Tigers advances to the quarterfinals as they face No. 1 Central State on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7:45 p.m. CST.
Game 4 (Women): No. 4 Benedict 80, No. 5 Tuskegee 69
Ay’Anna Bey finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds lifting the Benedict Tigers over Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers, 80-69, in the opening round. Despite the many turnovers, Benedict recovered by shooting 78.7 percent from the free-throw line. As Bey led the team in scoring, MiKeisha Moore (18), Jabree Jones (11), and Shirvel Luke (10) all contributed critical points throughout the game. Benedict led throughout most of the game until Tuskegee made a run in the third quarter as they scored 31 points of Benedict’s 39 turnovers. Benedict responded in the fourth quarter by shooing 81.5 percent from the free-throw line lifting them over No. 5 Tuskegee. The Lady Golden Tigers finished their season 6-20. The Lady Tigers will advance to face No. 1 Central State University on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. CST.
Courtesy: SIAC
