Rock Hill, S.C. - On Saturday afternoon, Tuskegee University fell to Benedict College in the 2020 SIAC Basketball Tournament Championship 85-72.
For the second consecutive game in-a-row, a quad of Golden Tigers finished with double figure scoring led by India Blakley with 21 points, Ashiala Jackson and Lenna Yoonis with 11 points, and Normeshia Pitts finished with 10 points.
Benedict College opened the scoring in the SIAC Championsip game with a three point shot by Mahogany Randall. While the Tigers got off to a quick start, both teams swapped the lead three times in the first quarter of play.
The Golden Tigers managed to take their first lead of the game with two minutes to go in the first quarter after Pitts knocked down a three point shot to make it 17-16. The Tigers responded back at the end of the quarter after Ay'Anna Bey scored on a layup to tie the score 22-22 at the end of the quarter.
Once the second quarter was underway, the level of intensity heated up between the Tigers and the Golden Tigers. Both teams combined for a total of 16 free throw attempts and shot an identical 62.5 percent from the charity stripe.
The Tigers went on to finish the quarter with the lead after a pair of free throws were knocked down by Bey to make the score 35-33 at the break.
Pitts led the team in scoring in the first half with eight points, four rebounds, and one steal.
In similar fashion of the semifinal matchup against Miles College, the third quarter was another back and forth hard fought quarter between the Tigers and the Golden Tigers. During the third, both teams swapped the lead for a total of four times.
Despite swapping the lead several times, the Tigers managed to go on a 5-0 run to close out the quarter after Bey connected on a jumpshot to make it 55-49 heading into the final quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the Golden Tigers had a 4-0 run to rim the deficit down to two points after a Blakley knocked down a jumper 55-53. Even with the early run, the Tigers and Golden Tigers continued to battle throughout the final period.
Unfortunately, the Golden Tigers did not retain the lead for the remainder of the game as Benedict were crowned the 2020 SIAC Basketball Tournament Champions.
Lena Yoonis, Eleana Daniels, Normesha Pitts, Kayla Thomas, Christina Massey, Shelle Daniels and Teja Finley were all Seniors and have completed their careers as Golden Tigers.
The Golden Tigers closed out their 2019-2020 campaign with a record 17-14 overall and 13-8 in SIAC play. This season has also marked the second season in-a-row that the Golden Tigers have finished with an above .500 record.
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