TUSKEGEE, Ala. __ Tuskegee men's basketball overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half and then outscored Allen, 13-10, in overtime to take an 73-70 victory on Thursday night inside the Daniel "Chappie" James Center in SIAC action.
It was nearly perfect shooting over the five minutes of extra time for the Golden Tigers (3-10, 2-5 SIAC). The Golden Tigers made four of their five shot attempts from the field, getting scoring from four different players.
After an Allen score at the 3:50 mark of overtime, Martez Jones responded to tie the game at 62-62 with a score in the paint on the next possession, and later took a one-point lead after the foul shot. Next was Julian Watson who scored in the lane to push the score to 65-62. It was one of several strong plays from the sophomore, who had a career-high eight points along with three assists and a steal in 29 minutes off the bench.
The game remained a one possession contest over the next few minutes, before a three-pointer from freshman Christopher Whitmore Jr., putting TU up 70-66 with 45 seconds to play.
The Yellow Jackets fought back one final time, pulling within one at 71-70 with 16 seconds remaining, however Kris Mickens helped seal the game with a fast break score assisted from Jones. Tuskegee forced a final turnover from Allen before the clock ran out in the 73-70 win.
Allen controlled much of the game in regulation, leading for over 12 minutes in the first half, and led by as many as nine points early on. Tuskegee battled back with key runs, outscoring AU in the opening period in second chance points (7-0) to get the game within single digits at the break, trailing 32-27.
The second half started in a similar fashion, as the Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 12 at 43-31 at the 11-minute mark after coming out with a 11-4 run.
Tuskegee needed to cool them off again, and it finally came with around six minutes remaining in the game. The Golden Tigers went on an 16-4 run over a five-minute stretch to end regulation, led by nine points from Jones in the second half.
Jones paced the Golden Tigers with a team-high 17 points in 38 minutes, which included making all three free-throw attempts in the overtime period, as he recorded his fifth double-double of the season. Mickens finished with new career-high 14 points along four rebounds, while Chip Culpepper scored 11 points in 31 minutes of play.
Malik Lacewell led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points, followed by Tyriq McAdoo who added ten points and eight rebounds on the night.
Up Next
The Golden Tigers will continue its four-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 6 against Benedict. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on the Golden Tiger Sports Network.
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, Instagram and Facebook.