SHORTER, Ga. ^__ Tuskegee men's basketball suffered its second loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, losing to Shorter, 82-59, at the Winthrop-King Centre to close out the South Regional Crossover.

Shorter took control of the game early, building a 13-point lead in the game's first ten minutes. Tuskegee struggled offensively in the half, trailing by 15 minutes later, before a 6-0 spurt trimmed the deficit to nine points following a three from freshman guard Kris Mickens at the seven-minute mark that cut the lead to nine at 19-10.

The teams traded baskets over the next few possessions, before a 15-4 run from Shorter pushed the lead to 20, before the half ended with Tuskegee trailing 38-19.

Shorter's momentum carried into the second half as the Hawks continued to score the ball well, going up 23 with 16 minutes to play. Tuskegee cut the lead under 20 on four different occasions but were unable to trim the deficit any further over the remainder of the contest.

Junior forward Martez Jones led TU with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including a 5-for-8 mark from the free throw line, and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Kusamae Draper also reached double figures with 17 points. As a team, the Golden Tigers shot 20-for-52 (38.5 percent) from the floor, 21-for-30 (70 percent) from the charity stripe, and just 1-for-6 (16.7 percent) from three-point range. 

The Hawks were led by five double-digit scorers in Gary Clay with a game-high 24, Ian Reith (21), Ricky Knight Jr. (14), Grant Atchley (10), and Micah Hodges (10). Shorter shot 57.9 percent from the field (22-for-38), 32-for-36 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line and went 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) from three-point territory on the night.

Up Next
Tuskegee will return to the court next weekend, participating in the CP3 Hall of Fame Tip Off on Saturday, November 18, and Sunday, November 19 in Uncasville, Conn. The Golden Tigers face off against Winston-Salem State on Saturday at 8 p.m. and will play either Virginia Union or Cheyney University on Sunday.

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