ROCK HILL, S.C. | Tuskegee women's basketball cruised by Kentucky State with an 84-59 win on Wednesday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament inside the Rock Hill Sport & Event Center.
 
The Golden Tigers came out strong, scoring the first four points of the game and jumping out to an early 16-10 lead, however Kentucky State went on a five-point swing to pull within a point with just under three minutes to play in the quarter.
 
On the next possession, JuToreyia Willis (Chattanooga, Tenn.) scored inside off an assist from India Blakely (Troy, Ala.) to spark another run for Tuskegee, this time a 7-3 run to finish the opening quarter leading 23-18.
 
Tuskegee continued to extend their lead in the second, going up double digits at the nine-minute mark and outscoring the Thorobreds 19-11 in the quarter. The Golden Tigers finished the half shooting 46.7 (14-for-30) percent from the field while forcing their opponent to 15 turnovers and 22 for the game.
 
The onslaught continued in the second half as Tuskegee outscored Kentucky State 25-11 in the third and closed out the game in the fourth for the 84-59 win.
 
The Golden Tigers finished the game shooting 46.9 (30-for-64) percent from the floor, 22.2 (2-for-9) percent from three and 73.3 (22-for-30) percent from the free throw line. They also outscored the Thorobreds in several statistical categories, including points in the paint (44-26), points off turnovers (25-9), and second chance points (20-12).
 
Ashiala Jackson (Merrillville, Ind.) led the way for Tuskegee with a 26 point 11 rebound double-double along with five steals, followed by Willis who added 20 points of her own with three blocks and two steals. Meanwhile, Blakely also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, followed by Aaliyah Austin (Satsuma, Ala.) who finished with nine point, nine rebounds and two steals on the day.
 
UP NEXT
Tuskegee will move on to the semifinal round of the SIAC Basketball Tournament on Friday where they will face the winner of a matchup between Benedict and Miles. The semifinal matchup is scheduled for a 2:15 pm tip and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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