TUSKEGEE, Ala. ^__ The Tuskegee men's basketball team opened its home exhibition slate in dramatic fashion on Wednesday afternoon, edging Talladega 73-70 inside the Daniel "Chappie" James Center Arena in the Macon County Education Day exhibition Game.

The Golden Tigers showcased a balanced scoring attack led by Khalil Genwright, who posted a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals, while RJ Walker added 12 points, going 12-for-14 from the free throw line, and Kusamae Draper added 11 points and three rebounds.

Tuskegee started fast, racing out to a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes behind Genwright's quick five points and a three-pointer from Derrek Bolton III, who finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

The Tornadoes eventually battled back to make it 26-25 at halftime, but the Golden Tigers controlled much of the first period thanks to their defense and physical play inside.

The second half featured a more offensive rhythm from both sides. Tuskegee extended its advantage to as many as 11 points midway through the period after a pair of free throws from Walker and a second-chance basket by Draper. Talladega refused to go quietly, using a 7-0 spurt late in the half to cut the deficit to 68-64 with under a minute remaining.

With the game tightening, Tuskegee leaned on its veteran core at the foul line. Walker calmly hit four consecutive free throws in the closing seconds, and senior Julian Watson split a pair in the final moments to help seal the win after Talladega's final three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer.

Tuskegee shot 32.7 percent (18-for-55) from the floor but made up the difference at the line, converting 66 percent (33-for-50) from the free throw line, and dominated the glass with a 41-33 rebounding edge.

The Golden Tigers also forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 18 points, while holding Talladega to 47.9 percent (23-for-48) overall and 41.2 percent (7-for-17) from beyond the arc.

For Talladega, Tre Simmons led all scorers with 15 points, going a perfect 4-of-5 from three-point range, while Arthur Williams added 14 points and two steals, and Eric Howard Jr. registered 11 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds.

The exhibition victory marked the first home on-floor action of the 2025-26 season for Tuskegee, who will officially open regular-season play later this month in a neutral site game against West Florida on Friday, Nov. 14 at the AUM Athletics Complex in Montgomery.

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