ALBANY, Ga. __ Tuskegee men's basketball fell to conference opponent Albany State, 69-67, on Monday evening in the HPE Arena for the final game of a two-game road stint.
The Golden Tigers jumped out to an early lead behind four quick points from junior forward Martez Jones to take a 6-4 lead. TU continued their strong start into second ten minutes of the half, leading 16-10 at the 8:51 mark in the opening half.
The remainder of the half was a game of runs, as the Golden Rams outscored the Golden Tigers by six points to tie the game at 29-29 at the break.
Jones finished with a game-highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead all players in both categories. The outing was his second double-double of the year.
Albany State returned the favor in the second half, taking their first lead just a minute into the contest with a three from Jamir Moore, making the final lead change of the game.
The Golden Rams trailed by as many as ten points in the second, before TU climbed back into the game with a 9-3 run to get back within four points at 52-48 with 10:30 remaining.
Both sides went blow for blow over the last stretch of play, with Albany State holding on to a four-point lead with 4:01 to go, before going on to secure the 69-67 win.
The Golden Tigers were able to get within two again with 46 seconds left but were unable to take the lead in the closing minutes, as the Golden Rams claimed the tight decision.
Jones' 22 points came on 7-of-9 shooting and an 8-of-15 night from the free throw line. Forward Kusamae Draper totaled nine points and four rebounds, while junior guard D'Anthony Pennington compiled nine points, four boards, and a game-best four steals.
Forward Jamir Moore paced the Golden Rams with 18 points and four rebounds, followed by Terin Wofford with 13 points and three steals. Sophomore Shakur Poteat was the third double figure scorer in the game with 12 points, while Dylan Edwards (9) and Blaise Wallace (8) also made contributions.
The Golden Tigers ended the day with a 35-14 edge in rebounds, 24-8 in points in the paint and a 18-2 margin in second chance points, but Albany State registered a 21-14 cushion in points off turnovers and 10-7 in fast break points. The Golden Rams logged a 25-for-48 (52.1 percent) mark from the field and 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) from three-point range compared to the Golden Tigers' 24-for-49 (49.0 percent) from the field and just 2-for-10 (20 percent) from long range.
UP NEXT
December 2, 2023: vs. Morehouse
Tuskegee returns home for a two-game stand next week, starting on Saturday, Dec. 2, against Morehouse inside the Daniel "Chappie" James Center at 3 p.m.
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