TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A layup from Florida A&M with just five seconds left in overtime gave Tuskegee (7-2, 4-0 SIAC) just their second loss on the season, as the Golden Tigers fell 77-75 in overtime inside of the Al Lawson Center on Monday evening.
Coming into overtime tied 67-67, Florida A&M scored on the first possession, however Tuskegee gained their first lead of the period after consecutive scores inside from
Aliyah Austin (Satsuma, Ala.) at the 3:55 mark to go up 71-69.
After a three-pointer from Florida A&M on the next trip down to retake the lead, the Golden Tigers scored inside once again and held a 75-73 lead later with just under two minutes to play.
With 1:16 remaining, the Rattlers converted a turnover into points to tie the game, followed by two scoreless possessions from Tuskegee to close out the contest.
Tuskegee came out with an early lead, opening the game with an 11-5 lead four minutes into the quarter. Florida A&M would respond on multiple occasions; however, the Golden Tigers maintained the lead, going up 20-18 at the 1:32 mark before the close of the frame.
After leading 22-19 after the opening quarter, Tuskegee extended their lead to five with just over eight minutes in the half on a three from
Arielle McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and went up 30-27 a minute later after an inside score from
Ashaila Jackson (Merrillville, Ind.).
At the 6:51 mark in the second, Florida A&M scored in the paint to spark a 11-0 run, scoring in a variety of ways, finding themselves up 33-30.
Sumaiyah Adbur-Rahim (Grand Prairie, Texas) ended the scoring drought with a steal and fast break score with just under two minutes in the half, however Florida A&M remained in the lead and headed into the half up 39-33.
The third quarter was one of runs, as the Rattlers gained a double-digit lead for the first time early in the third, 46-35, and later led by a game-high 14 points with 4:25 to go in the frame. Minutes later, another three from McElroy would bring the Golden Tigers within eight, while they ended the quarter down 57-50.
Tuskegee continued to claw back in the fourth, cutting the lead to just four after a layup and foul from
Amariah Stanard (Stone Mountain, Ga.) early on before a combined run from
Nadia Thorman-Mckey (Evanston, Ill.) and
JuToreyia Willis (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to climb within two, 61-59, with just under five minutes to play.
The teams continued to respond to opponent runs, with Florida A&M gaining a 67-63 lead with 38 seconds remaining. Seconds later, McElroy made two free throws to reduce the deficit to just two points. On the next possession, Thorman-Mckey made a crucial steal and converted the layup on the other end to tie the game at 67-67 and force overtime after Florida A&M failed to score in the remaining time.
Five Golden Tigers finished the game scoring in double figures for the first time this season, with Thorman-Mckey leading the way with 18 points along with five rebounds and two assists, followed by Willis who finished with nearly a triple double with 15 points, ten rebounds, nine steals and six assists.
Meanwhile, McElroy and Stanard both finished with 11 points on the night, with McElroy adding seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals to her totals, while Jackson scored ten points with five rebounds.
The Golden Tigers outscored the Rattlers in points off in the paint (40-34), points off turnovers (27-23), bench points (10-7), and second chance points (25-15), but were outscored in fast break points (20-19).
Up Next
Tuskegee will return to action on Thursday, December 15, as they host Savannah State for the first leg of the home doubleheader inside of Daniel "Chappie" James Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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