Benedict Wins Opener In Overtime
COLUMBIA, S.C. (BC SID) — Rickie Jackson hit three free throws with nine seconds left in overtime to lift the 12th-ranked Benedict College Tigers to a 62-61 overtime victory in their season-opener over the Augusta State Jaguars Monday night at the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena. Augusta State, now 1-1 on the season, had a 61-59 lead in overtime when Tye Beal missed a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left. The Jaguars got the offensive rebound, but Harold Doby missed a layup and Benedict’s Antrjuan Albright grabbed the rebound with 11 seconds left. Jackson lofted up a 3-pointer for Benedict, but was fouled by Roman Hall. Jackson calmly sank all three free throws, giving Benedict a 62-61 lead and erupting the near-capacity crowd into a frenzy. Augusta’s Travis Keels missed a jumper at the buzzer for Augusta State and the Tigers celebrated a hard-fought victory. “Those were huge free throws,” said Benedict Head Coach Fred Watson. “That’s a tough situation to be in, but he delivered in the clutch when we needed them. He’s one of our best shooters, and we wouldn’t want anybody else shooting those.” Junior center Marcus Goode led the Tigers with 30 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Jackson was the only other double-figure scorer for the Tigers with 11 points. “With Xavier Collier out, Marcus knew coming in that he needed to step it up. He stepped up to the challenge and succeeded,” Watson said. “In the second half, we started running our offense through Marcus and just force feed him the ball and let him make the decisions.” Both teams struggled early in the contest. Benedict shot just 33 percent (8-of-24), while Augusta State shot 34.5 percent (10-of-29) in the first half, as the Jaguars took a 26-20 lead into the locker room. The Tigers did a better job of getting the ball inside to Goode in the second half, and the Tigers made 56 percent of their shots (14-of-25). Benedict had a 55-51 lead with 1:29 left in regulation after a tip-in by Goode. But then Augusta State’s O’Neal Armstrong had a pair of driving baskets, the final one with 42 seconds left in the second half to tie the game at 55. In the final 30 seconds of regulation, the Tigers had a turnover, missed a 3-pointer, and Goode missed a jumper at the buzzer. The Jaguars took a 61-58 lead in overtime on a driving layup by Beal with 1:55 left. Goode hit one free throw to make it 61-59 with 1:41 left, and it stayed that way until Jackson hit his three free throws with nine seconds left. Armstrong led Augusta State with 21 points, while Doby and Devonte Thomas each had 11 points. Doby led the Jaguars with 14 rebounds. Augusta State outrebounded Benedict 49-29. The Jaguars had 27 offensive rebounds, which nearly matched Benedict’s entire rebound total. Benedict also made just 12 of 23 free-throw attempts. “We’re fortunate to win that game giving up that many offensive rebounds,” Watson said. “This is a good win for us. They’re going to be a regionally-ranked team. I haven’t beaten those guys in seven years. I’m elated about the win.” Benedict returns to action Saturday, opening SIAC play against Kentucky State. The conference doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. with the women’s contest, with the men’s game set for 3 p.m.
