58
Albany St. (GA) 6-16,5-12 SIAC
72
Benedict 11-12,9-8 SIAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany St. (GA) | 21 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 58 |
| Benedict | 16 | 15 | 27 | 14 | 72 |
A critical stretch late in the second quarter and a dominant third quarter proved to be the decisive factor in Benedict’s 72-58 victory over Albany State Monday night. The Golden Rams started off well , shooting 47.1% from the field and only commiting three turnovers as they took a 21-16 lead, capping the period with a three-pointer from Milana Holmes.
Albany State appeared to maintain control of the game int he second quarter, building as much as a nine-point at 29-20 on a Tachanda Castling layup with 3:30 left in the half. Over the course of the remaining time in the half Benedict chipped away at the deficit , cutting the lead down to two and ending the half on a high note when Jazmin Grayson hit from downtown at the buzzer, to give the Tigers a lift , as they were only down 33-31 at the half.
Benedict kept the momentum in the third quarter, which was their most offensively prodcutive period of the afternoon, scoring 27 points and shooting 44.4% from the floor. Albany State ws unable to keep pace, as they only scored 14 points in the frame and shot themselves in the hoof with 7 turnovers. Benedict took the lead at 34-33 on their first possessin of the half on a three-pointer from Madison Golden. Albany State would tie the contest on two separate occasions, with the last coming on a converted free throw from Tachanda Castling that knotted the contest at 42. Benedict went on an 11-0 run to take 53-42 lead, and that 11-point advantage would hold as the Golden Rams were staring at a 58-47 hole heading into the game’s final period.
Early in the fourth a three-pointer form Hayleigh Ross and a Ka’Shay Hankerson layup pulled the Rams to within six at 58-52 with 8:53 left in the period. However drawing any closer was a task too tough for Albany State , as with five points of thier own to push the lead back to double-digits at 63-52 with 5:22 to go. Albany State was never able mount a real threat for the rest of the contest, as they were unable to get closer than nine points before falling by fourteen, 72-58.
for the victors, Madison Golden led four Tigers in double figures with 19 points. Taylor Christmas scored 18 points, Amaya Ashby grabbed 13 boards to go along with her 17 points and Mahogany Randall contributed 10 points.
Tachanda Castling led two Golden Rams in double figures with 14 points ; Ka’Shay Hankerson chipped in with 11 poiints and 4 assists.
With the loss, the Golden Rams fall to 6-16 and 4-12 in the SIAC. Up next for Albany State is a matchup with Fort Valley on February 11; tip-off is set for 4:00 PM EST.
