FRANFORT, Ky. – In yet another Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) contest on the road to start the calendar year, the Tuskegee women's basketball program defeated Kentucky State, 58-48, on the road on Saturday afternoon inside the William Exum Center.
 
Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim (Grand Prairie, Texas) led the way offensive for the Golden Tigers, finishing with 21 points, four steals and four rebounds on the day as the team shot 38 (19-for-50) percent from the field and 74.1 (20-for-27) percent from the free throw line for the game.
 
It was a tight ball game to start, with three times over the first five minutes of play. At the 4:40 mark, a pair of free throws from Kentucky State sparked a 6-0 run to gain a 14-8 lead and led 17-10 minutes later with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
From there, Tuskegee cut into the lead to close the frame, holding the Thorobreds to just one additional score going forward and trailing just 19-16 heading into the second.
 
The Golden Tigers dominated the second, starting the quarter with a 10-0 run to take the lead on the way to outscoring Kentucky State 17-4 overall. The Thorobreds were held to just four points and two field goals in the frame that saw Tuskegee take a 33-23 lead into halftime.
 
Tuskegee continued to control the momentum in the third, leading by as many as 18 with just under three minutes to play, while not allowing the lead to get under ten. The Golden Tigers led 51-34 after three, allowing 12 points in the third on just five field goals.
 
Both teams struggled to score in the fourth, as Kentucky State made the first field goal of the quarter at the 5:44 mark, however, Ashiala Jackson (Merrillville, Ind.) responded a minute later to make the score 53-39.
 
After a score from the Thorobreds on the next possession, neither team scored again until a layup and foul shot from Kentucky State to put the deficit at 53-44 with 1:39 to play. From that point, Tuskegee sealed the game with free throws for the 58-48 win.
 
Following Abdur-Rahim in the double figure column was Nadia Thorman-Mckey (Evanston, Ill.) with 17 points, including 9-for-11 from the free throw line, along with four rebounds, while Jackson added another double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds on the afternoon.
 
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 5:30 p.m.
 
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