Courtesy of Benedict AthleticsCOLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers drained 13 3-pointers, led by Brandon Smith’s season-high six 3-pointers, and the Tigers defeated Clark Atlanta University 96-78 on Monday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.
Smith finished with a season-high 20 points for the Tigers, 18 coming in the first half when he made all six 3-pointers. Benedict improves to 16-5 overall and 12-2 in the SIAC. Clark Atlanta falls to 8-11 overall and 3-8 in the SIAC.
Malachi McCoy added 16 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, while Tajh Green added 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Timothy Bing Jr. scored 12 points on four 3-pointers.
The Tigers used a nine-point run in the first half to break away from a 19-19 tie. A 3-pointer by Smith gave Benedict an 11-point lead, 43-32, right before the half before the Panthers scored a layup to make it 43-34 at the break.
The Panthers cut the lead to three points, 45-42, early in the second half, but the Tigers went on a 12-3 run, capped off by a three-point play by McCoy for a 57-45 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tyrese Mapp and Bing gave Benedict a 72-54 lead with 8:10 remaining, and the Tigers kept a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
Benedict plays at Allen University on Thursday night.
