title image via the SIAC
Courtesy of the SIAC
Day one of the women’s bracket opened with an upset and defensive battle that sent LeMoyne-Owen and Spring Hill to an early exit.
Benedict (4-23, 1-18 SIAC), the number seven seed in the east division, defeated LeMoyne-Owen (13-14, 8-11 SIAC), the number six seed in the west division, 54-51 after fighting off a late effort surge by the Lady Magicians in the fourth quarter.
After falling to a 10-point deficit in the second quarter, the Lady Magicians tied the game twice in the final two minutes of the game but were unable to take the lead.
Benedict out-performed the LeMoyne-Owen shooting a 32 percent from the field and 17 percent from the three-point line compared to LeMoyne-Owen shooting 20 percent and 11 percent in the same stat lines.
Taylor Christmas led the Lady Tigers with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Benedict will advance to the second round where the team will face Clark Atlanta (14-11, 11-8 SIAC), the number three seed in the east division, at noon on Wednesday at Tiger Arena.
Albany State (6-22, 5-14 SIAC), the number six seed in the east division, consolidated their regular season win over Spring Hill (6-18, 6-13 SIAC), the number seven seed in the west division, 58-41 in the final women’s first-round matchup.
The Badgers struck first, scoring a two-point jumper to start the game, but the team lost the lead moments later and never regained it.
After a low-scoring first half by both teams, the Lady Rams had more offensive productivity in the third quarter squaring 24 points, extended their lead to 17 points to start the fourth quarter.
Milana Holmes was the leading scorer for Albany State and recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Rams will take on Lane (13-13, 11-8 SIAC), the number three seed in the west division, in the second round on Wednesday afternoon at five at Tiger Arena.
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.
