Tuskegee committed 35 turnovers, leading scorer
Alexis Carter was held to five points and the Golden Tigers fell short of reaching the championship game of the 2019 SIAC Basketball Tournament with a 46-40 overtime loss to Kentucky State. A victory would have given TU its first appearance in the finals since 2008.
TU led by nine points (33-24) their biggest lead of the game just over three minutes into the fourth period, but KSU went on a run of its own capped off by a Jessie Kee layup that tied the game at 38-38 with 1:08 left to play. Neither team would score again, forcing overtime.
In overtime, Skegee was outscored 8-2. Carter and S. Daniels both made one free throw each.
S. Daniels and
Jade Wilson led the Golden with 13 points apiece. In her final appearance wearing a TU uniform, Wilson also hauled in nine rebounds while Daniels grabbed eight. Carter was held 14 points below her season average and was 0-of-7 from the field.
Brooke Wallace paced KSU with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
After scoring on its first two possessions of the game, TU quickly led 4-0. However, 10 first quarter turnovers plagued the Golden Tigers offensively, which created a 12-9 deficit at the end of the first period.
Skegee responded in the second quarter with an 8-2 run that included senior
Jade Wilson taking over. A layup by the Indianapolis native brought the game to within two points at 15-14. On the ensuing possession, Wilson stole the ball and raced to the opposite end to make another layup, which gave her team its first lead since the opening tap. TU would end up outscoring the Thorobreds 10-5 in the quarter, creating a 19-17 halftime lead.
The Thorobreds scored 24 points off turnovers and forced 18 steals. TU would also force 32 KSU turnovers on the afternoon.
After shooting 42 percent in the first quarter, the Golden Tigers held KSU to only18 percent from the field on 2-of-11 shooting. However, TU was only able to convert of 11 percent of their shot attempts, 25.5 percent for the game and did not make one three pointer, going 0-of-8.
Tuskegee ends its historic season at 20-6 overall, the school's first 20-win season in 19 years while also going 13-3 in league play.
