TUSKEGEE, Ala. __ Tuskegee relied on its defensive identity on Monday afternoon, winning back-to-back games for the first time this season by defeating Central State, 63-57, inside the Chappie James Center.
Tuskegee (5-11, 4-6 SIAC) managed to hold Central State (2-15, 1-9 SIAC) to just 34.5 percent shooting from the field and forced nine turnovers, capitalizing for eight points off the miscues, along with recording four steals and four blocks as a team.
Two of those steals came courtesy of
Dylan Cambridge, who played arguably his best game as a Golden Tiger, finishing with a near double-double of nine points and nine rebounds on the day. Meanwhile three of those blocks came from forward
Martez Jones scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
The Marauders started the game hot from the floor, jumping out to a 13-5 lead before the first media break, making five of their first six shot attempts all by the duo of Willie Jackson and Sean Paige, including a trio of three-pointers.
Central State extended its lead to double figures after a three from Zavian Jackson at 22-10, before Tuskegee began to claw back into the game, helped by a 9-1 run to make the score 23-19 with just under eight minutes left in the half.
Following a score inside from Paige to put CSU up 27-19 at the seven-minute mark, the Marauders went up double figures again after a three-minute scoring drought from both sides. The deficit rotated between single and double digits over the remainder of the half, with Tuskegee trailing at the break 35-27.
The Golden Tigers responded coming out of the locker rooms to start the second half, methodically reducing the lead, getting within five points at the first media break, before later tying the game at 41-41 on a layup from
Kusamae Draper with 14 minutes to go.
The lead went back-and-forth over the next period of play, with neither team gaining a multiple point advantage until consecutive scores inside from Draper to put TU up 51-48 at the 6:36 mark. From there, Tuskegee would lead the rest of the way, only seeing the game tied at 54-54. However, a 7-0 run from there broke the game open and allowed the Golden Tigers to come away with the 63-57 win.
Draper led Tuskegee in scoring and recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the win, while
D'Anthony Pennington added 14 points and dished out three assists in a team-high 33 minutes of play.
Jackson had a game-high 20 points for Central State, hitting three of the team's six three-pointers (went 6-of-20 from beyond the arc). Paige was next in the scoring category, adding eight points and three boards in the loss.
Up Next
Tuskegee will hit the road for the first time in 2024 this coming weekend, as the Golden Tigers travel to Memphis to take on LeMoyne-Owen. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. inside Bruce-Johnson Hall.
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