TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Golden Tigers (8-2, 5-0 SIAC) closed out Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) rival Savannah State with a 30-point fourth quarter to secure the 78-62 win on Thursday evening inside of the Daniel "Chappie" James Center.
 
Tuskegee came out strong to open the contest and gained a 6-3 lead just under three minutes in before leading 10-5 at the first media timeout with 4:46 left in the frame.
 
Coming out of the break, Ashiala Jackson (Merrillville, Ind.) scored off a Savannah State turnover, sparking a run that saw the Golden Tigers go up double digits after a three with just under two minutes to play from Arielle McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill.) to go up 17-5.
 
Leading 20-7 after one, Tuskegee stretched their lead to 15 at 22-7 with a pair of free throws and maintained a double-digit lead util the 5:12 mark, as Savannah State sank a pair of free throws to cut the lead to nine.
 
The Golden Tigers responded with consecutive scores from Jackson to go back up 28-15, however Savannah State made a run of their own to close the half trailing just 32-27.
 
The game remained close throughout the third, as Savannah State reduced the lead to just two points just over three minutes in at 35-33. After a pair of. Free throws from Jackson on the next trip down, Tuskegee stretched their lead to eight at the 4:53 mark after a fast break score from Nadia Thorman-Mckey (Evanston, Ill.).
 
Savannah State responded with another run, this time tying the game at 47-47 with 25 seconds to play, and later taking the lead for the first time since the first period. They ended the third leading 50-48.
 
After the two teams battled back-and-forth for the first few minutes of the final quarter the game was tied 59-59 for the media timeout with just under seven minutes to play before the Golden Tigers scored nine unanswered to gain momentum, leading 68-59 with 4:27 remaining.
 
After forcing a turnover moments later, Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim (Grand Prairie, Texas) converted in the lane for a fast break, putting Tuskegee up double digits again at 71-61. The Golden Tigers did not look back, as they stretched the lead to 16 in the 78-62 win.
 
Tuskegee outscored Savannah State in points in the paint (42-26, points off turnovers (21-11), and second chance points (21-8), however lost the battle in fast break (11-8) and bench points (12-6).
 
All five starters scored in double figures on the day, led by Jackson with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the year. Meanwhile, Thorman-Mckey added 14 points and five rebounds, followed by McElroy with 13 points and three assists. JuToreyia Willis (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Amariah Stanard (Stone Mountain, Ga.) were the other two double figure scorers, finishing with 12 and ten points respectively, while Willis also added eight assists and seven rebounds in 36 minutes.
 
Up Next
The Golden Tigers will host Edward Waters on Saturday, December 17 for their final SIAC game of the calendar year. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside of the Daniel "Chappie" James Center.
 
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