JACKSONVILLE, Fla. __ A slow start proved crucial for Tuskegee on Monday evening, as the men's basketball team fell 66-65 against Edward Waters inside of the Adams-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex.
Tuskegee (2-9, 1-5 SIAC) committed 20 turnovers on the game, which converted into 24 points off turnovers from the Tigers.
Edward Waters got off to a fast start in their home gym, scoring the first six points of the game. Tuskegee got on the board with a layup and foul shot from
Chip Culpepper nearly three minutes into the contest; however, EWU continued to push the pace, leading by as many as eight (12-4) with just under 14-minute in the half.
The Golden Tigers cut into the lead during the next stretch of play, going on a 7-3 run heading into the next media timeout down just 15-11 after scores from freshmen
Tyshawn Boyce,
Kris Mickens, and
Christopher Whitmore Jr. during the span.
Trailing by nine with 9:40 in the half, Tuskegee again clawed back, with a score from Draper followed by a second three-pointer from Whitmore to make the score 22-18. Despite the run, Edward Waters pushed the lead to double figures on two occasions minutes later.
With 6:15 to go, Mickens sank a pair of free throws to spark a short run to get TU within single digits again at 32-24, before seeing a response from the Tigers to close the half down 39-29.
Tuskegee came out strong in the second half, starting the period with a 10-5 run to cut the deficit to just five points with 14 minutes to play, and later got within a point (45-44) with a three-pointer from
Kevin Sesberry.
The Golden Tigers took their first lead of the game with 11:46 to go, following consecutive scores from
Kusamae Draper and a pair of free throws from Sesberry to give TU a 50-45 lead.
After a response from Edward Waters, the game was tied once again at 50-50, before a back-and-forth effort from both sides over the next few minutes. Tied at 63-63 with 2:08 to play, neither team could convert offensively, until a free throw from EWU to take a 64-63 advantage with just 36 seconds to play.
On the next possession, forward
Martez Jones scored off an offensive rebound to give Tuskegee the late lead with 15 seconds remaining, however Goliath Mitchell drew a foul and sank both shots from the line to secure a 66-65 win.
The Golden Tigers finished the contest shooting 44.4 percent (24-for-54) from the field, 33.3 percent (3-for-9) from three-point range, and just 45.2 percent (14-for-31) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Edward Waters shot 32.8 percent (21-for-64) overall, 20 percent (7-for-35) from long range, and 68 percent (17-for-25) from the free throw line.
Draper registered a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds and one assist. Jones nearly registered a double-double with nine points and 11 boards plus two assists of his own.
UP NEXT
Tuskegee will return to play with one final game before the new year, traveling to face Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, December 30 at 3 p.m. ET, inside the Storm Dome. The game can be seen on the Peach Belt Conference Sports Network, with an audio stream available on the Golden Tiger Sports Network.
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