title image via the SIAC
Courtesy of the SIAC
Round two of the 2024 SIAC Basketball Tournament presented by Cricket saw lopsided victories and close upsets as seeds three, four, and five from the east and west divisions hit the hardwood for the first time this postseason.
Tuskegee (15-9, 11-8 SIAC), the west division fourth seed, defeated Allen (11-14, 7-12 SIAC),the east division fifth seed, 68-53 after going on a 18-2 point run in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Tigers dominated in the paint scoring 40 points to Allen’s 18. Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim led Tuskegee in scoring with 19 points, and Jasmine Manuel recorded a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and one block.
The win secured Tuskegee a spot in the quarterfinals against the east division top seed, Savannah State (19-5, 15-4 SIAC) on Thursday at noon. The Lady Tigers ended the season winning 8 of their 9 final games to close out the regular season. The two teams met earlier this season in a divisional cross over game that Savannah State won 60-51.
Edward Waters (9-17, 7-12 SIAC), the east division fourth seed, fell to Central State (12-14, 9-10 SIAC), the west division fifth seed, 78-71 after a failed fourth quarter comeback attempt.
The Lady Marauders shot their way to a 26-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the Lady Tigers went on a 31-10 point run to cut the lead to five points with 35 seconds left in the game before Central State sealed the victory at the free throw line.
Overall, Central State outperformed Edward Waters from the field and the three-point range shooting 47.5 percent and 47.4 percent in the stat lines, while the Lady Tigers shot 30 percent and 21.4 percent in the respective categories. The Lady Marauders had four player score double-digits with Samara Savoy leading the team with 18 points.
Central State will face the west division top seed, Kentucky State (19-6, 15-4 SIAC), in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at five. The Lady Marauders handed the Thorobreds their only loss in the final month of the regular season, 80-71, in their most recent meeting.
Clark Atlanta (14-11, 11-8 SIAC), the east division third seed, stopped the little momentum Benedict (4-24, 1-18 SIAC), the west division seventh seed, built after their first round upset in a 69-54 win.
Despite shooting well over their season average from the field, Benedict was unable to overcome 32 turnovers that resulted in 36 points for the Lady Panthers.
Hannah White led Clark Atlanta in scoring with a season high 20 points. Atreonia Garner and Trinity Jones also showed up for the Lady Panthers offensively in a big way scoring 18 and 13 points respectively.
Clark Atlanta advances to play Miles (20-6, 15-4 SIAC), the west division two seed, in the quarterfinals on Friday at noon. The Lady Bears defeated the Lady panthers 83-76 in their regular season contest.
Albany State (7-22, 5-14 SIAC), the east division six seed, extended their postseason run in a 51-56 win over Lane (13-13, 11-8 SIAC), the west division three seed, making them the only bottom seed in the women’s bracket to advance past the second round.
The Dragons were unable to get their offense going shooting 15-66 (22.7%) from the field and 2-16 (12.5%) from behind the arc causing the team to play in a deficit the majority of the game. Albany State trailed only once late in the second quarter by one point before quickly regaining the lead a couple of plays later.
Elisa Saffold led the Lady Rams with 15 points, and Milana Holmes recorded 11 points for the team.
Albany State will face divisional rival, second seed, Fort Valley State (14-10, 12-7 SIAC) in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon at 2:30. The Wildcats bested the Lady Rams in their two regular season matchups, mounting a fourth quarter comeback in the most recent matchup after trailing most of the game.
The 2024 SIAC Basketball Tournament presented by Cricket is being hosted at Savannah State University from round one to the semifinals on March 3-9. The championship games will be played at Enmarket Arena on March 10. All tournament games are streaming on ESPN+. Visit the tournament championship page for more information, and follow the SIAC on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) for tournament updates.
