FRANKFORT, Ky. – A strong second half allowed the Tuskegee men's basketball program (12-4, SIAC 7-2) to pull away from Kentucky State (7-4, SIAC 6-2), by a score of 90-69 on the road on Saturday afternoon inside the William Exum Center.
After a three from
Devin Booker (Chicago, Ill.) to start the game, the Golden Tigers jumped out to an early 11-4 lead three minutes into play.
Kentucky State responded with a run over the next few minutes and took a 17-16 lead, their first of the game, at the 11:41 mark. After another Thorobred score,
Gregg Boyd (Seat Pleasant, Md.) and
Kusamae Draper (Conyers, Ga.) scored on consecutive possessions to tie the game, followed by another three from Booker to regain the lead at 23-20.
The two teams battled over the next few possessions, seeing the game tied again at 29-29 with 5:35 remaining, followed by runs from both ends to head into the half tied for the third time at 37-37.
The second half saw the two teams continue to go back-and-forth, with four lead changes and five tie scores over the first part of the period. With the game tied 53-53 with 11:07 to play, Boyd sparked the final run for the Golden Tigers, hitting a pair of threes to go up six.
Minutes later after a response from Kentucky State,
Steve Dulley (Kansas City, Mo.) hit a three to go up 64-58, and Tuskegee gained a double-digit lead with just over six minutes remaining at 68-58. From there, the Golden Tigers continued to control the game, extending their lead to a game-high 21 points at the 2:56 mark of the half, and finished with the 90-69 win.
Four Golden Tigers finished the game in double figures led by Boyd with 26 points, making 7-of-10 from three-point range along with four assists. Meanwhile, Booker added 15 points in 34 minutes, followed by Draper and
D'Anthony Pennington (Kansas City, Mo.) who both finished with ten points in the win.
Tuskegee finished the game with shooting splits of 49.3 (34-for-69) percent from the field, 54.2 (13-for-24) percent from deep, and 69.2 (9-for-13) percent from the free throw line. They also outscored Kentucky State in bench points (25-14), points in the paint (32-26), points off turnovers (24-12), and second chance points (16-8).
Up Next
Tuskegee will return to action with the final of four road games to start 2023 with a battle against Central State on Monday, January 9. Game time inside the Beacom/Lewis Gym is set for 7:30 p.m.
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