TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Tuskegee Men's Basketball delivered a complete performance on Thursday night inside the Daniel "Chappie" James Center, defeating Allen University 68-53 to extend its strong play at home this season.
The Golden Tigers controlled the pace from start to finish, using disciplined defense and a balanced scoring attack to secure the SIAC win.
Allen opened the game on a 7-0 run and led 8-1 before the Golden Tigers settled in. Tyshawn Boyce put Tuskegee on the board at the foul line, and senior guard
RJ Walker quickly changed the momentum with back-to-back threes from the left wing to trim the deficit to 8-7.
From there, the Tuskegee defense locked in, holding the Yellow Jackets without a field goal for several minutes while forcing turnovers and controlling the glass. A steady stream of free throws from
Kusamae Draper and
Khalil Genwright, along with another Walker triple, helped TU seize its first lead and build it into a double-digit advantage. The Golden Tigers outscored Allen 31-11 over the final 15 minutes of the half to take a 32-18 lead into the locker room.
Tuskegee continued to control the tempo after the break, answering every push from Allen. The Yellow Jackets briefly cut the margin to single digits midway through the second half, but Genwright attacked the rim to get to the line, Draper converted in the paint, and Walker drilled his fifth three of the night as the Golden Tigers pushed the lead back into comfortable territory.
Tuskegee's frontcourt duo of
Anthony Wright and Boyce helped Tuskegee dominate the boards, and the Golden Tiger defense forced 20 Allen turnovers and limited the visitors to just 26.9 percent shooting from the field and 5-for-23 from beyond the arc.
Walker turned in an all-around performance with a game-high 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting (5-for-9 from three), six rebounds, five steals and four assists in 39 minutes. Draper matched him with 16 points and six rebounds, going 6-for-11 at the foul line, while Genwright also finished with 16 points and five boards, knocking down 9 of 11 free throws.
Wright helped anchor the interior with 11 rebounds, six points and two blocks, and Boyce added seven rebounds off the bench as Tuskegee finished with a 50-40 edge on the glass, 13 steals and 20 second-chance points.
Allen was led by Shadale Knight, who scored 22 points and hit three triples while going 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. Jordahn Johnson added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and Ky'Den Mays chipped in four points, six rebounds and five assists for the Yellow Jackets, who fell to 1-6 overall and 0-5 in SIAC play.
With the win, Tuskegee improves to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in SIAC play. The Golden Tigers return to action on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they host Benedict College at 3 p.m. inside the Chappie James Center in the second game of the weekend doubleheader.
How to Follow the Golden Tigers
For complete information on Tuskegee Golden Tigers Men's Basketball, visit
GoldenTigerSports.com and follow the team's social media channels on
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