TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Tuskegee men's basketball team suffered a tough 65-62 loss to Lane in a tightly contested Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) matchup at the Daniel "Chappie" James Center on Monday night.
The defeat drops the Golden Tigers to 10-12 overall and 8-8 in SIAC play as they continue their push toward postseason positioning.
The Golden Tigers found themselves trailing 31-24 at halftime after struggling to find an offensive rhythm early.
Lane controlled the pace in the opening period, capitalizing on Tuskegee's turnovers while converting 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from three.
Despite shooting 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from the floor, Tuskegee was unable to generate consistent scoring opportunities, finishing just 5-of-10 (50 percent) from the free-throw line in the first half.
Coming out of the break, Tuskegee flipped the momentum, surging ahead with a 14-0 run midway through the second half, building a game-high 12 point lead (48-35) with 9:55 remaining.
Kusamae Draper was dominant inside, recording a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while
D'Anthony Pennington added 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and
Rodney Walker Jr. added 11 points, giving the Golden Tigers a much-needed offensive spark.
However, Lane refused to go away, responding with a 7-0 run with under three minutes remaining, cutting the deficit to one possession.
Lane's Kuany Teng hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:37 left to tie the game at 62-62. Following a Tuskegee turnover, Lane capitalized with a second-chance layup by Martice Mitchell to take a 64-62 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
Tuskegee had an opportunity to force overtime, but Walker Jr.'s three-point attempt in the final seconds fell short, securing the win for Lane.
Tuskegee finished the game shooting 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field but struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) attempts.
The Golden Tigers held the advantage in points in the paint (32-20) and second chance points (11-7), but Lane's ability to score off turnovers (20 points) proved to be the difference.
Up Next
Tuskegee will look to rebound in their next SIAC matchup, as they travel to the west coast to take on Morehouse as part of NBA All-Star Weekend. Tip-off for the highly anticipated matchup is set for 2 p.m. PT in San Francisco and will be broadcast on ESPN+, NBA TV and TruTV.
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
Twitter,
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Facebook.
