FAIRFIELD, Ala. – After a back-and-forth battle in its entirety, the second game of the rivalry doubleheader between Tuskegee and Miles did not disappoint, as forward and Tuskegee native
Martez Jones ended the game in regulation with a putback score plus the foul shot with time expired.
Entering the night seeking its fifth straight Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory, the Golden Tigers secured said victory on the road, downing their rival Golden Bears 54-53 Saturday evening inside the Knox-Windham Gymnasium.
Jones led the way for Tuskegee on the day with a game-high 19 points and just one rebound shy of another double-double in just 18 minutes, followed by 12 points from guard
D'Anthony Pennington who finished with 12 points, four boards and two assists in the win.
Trailing for around 26 minutes of game time, TU continued to stay in the ball game, chipping away at the deficit, before outscoring the home team 9-3 over the final five minutes of play.
After forcing a defensive stop on a block from
Chip Culpepper with under 30 seconds remaining, Pennington missed a pair of jumpers in the possession, before Jones grabbed the offensive board and finished the play and later the game.
Following an early lead from Tuskegee within the first two minutes, Miles took an 8-7 edge minutes later and held on the lead for a majority of the first half. Trailing by five after the under-12 media timeout, the Golden Tigers cut the lead on a three from
Julian Watson, before a response from the home team.
From there Miles extended their lead to six prior to the final media break of the half, however Tuskegee battled back, taking a 26-25 lead with six seconds remaining, before a three before the buzzer put the Golden Bears up 28-26 at the half.
The second half continued to be a hard-fought battle, as the lead changed hands three of the ten total times along with witnessing four ties in the final 20 minutes of play. Jones did most of his damage in the second, scoring 13 of his 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds after being in foul trouble for much of the first half.
Alvin Miles led the way for Miles, scoring 18 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals in the loss. Meanwhile, Truitt Spencer was the other double figure scorer with ten points.
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