Benedict Survives Double OT Thriller

ATLANTA (BC SID) — The Benedict College Tigers rallied back in regulation and two overtime periods before eventually pulling out an 86-85 double overtime victory over the Stillman Tigers in the quarterfinals of the SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse College. With five seconds left in the second overtime, Tydran Beaty drove to the basket and hit a pull-up jumper and was fouled. He sank the free throw to give Benedict an 86-85 lead. Stillman raced down the court and Damian Ford was fould by Beaty, putting Ford on the line with less than a second on the clock and a chance to force a third overtime. But Ford hit the first and missed the second, sending the Benedict Tigers into Saturday’s tournament semifinals against Fort Valley State at 8 p.m. Benedict, the tournament’s fourth seed, improved to 17-10 overall. Stillman, the fifth seed, fell to 17-11. Marcus Goode had a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 12 blocks. Cassius Bell tied his career-high with 17 points and had a career-high nine rebounds. Mark Young had a career-high 15 points. Benedict trailed 68-64 with 2:32 left to play. Goode cut the lead to two on a pair of free throws, then Bell tied the game with 29 seconds left on a short jumper. Stillman’s Lee Riley drove the basket with six seconds left, but his shot was blocked by Goode, sending the game into overtime. In the first overtime, Stillman pulled ahead 73-70 on a fade-away jumper by Ladarius Rhone, and led 75-72 with 2:12 left after a pair of free throws by Ford. Goode tipped in a missed shot with 55 seconds to make it 75-74. Stillman’s Torrean Walker hit one of two free throws with 36 seconds left to give Stillman a 76-74 lead. Trevor Eichelberger hit a mid-range jumper with 18 seconds left to tie the game, and Stillman’s Jeffrey Wherry missed a 3-pointer with five seconds left. In the second overtime, Stillman pulled ahead again, taking an 84-80 lead on a 3-pointer by Wherry. But Benedict’s Rickie Jackson answered back with a 3-pointer to make it 84-83. Stillman missed four consecutive free throws before Beaty scored the three-point play. Ford led Stillman with 22 points, while Rhone and Lee Riley added 14 points each. Rhone had a team-high 12 rebounds. Benedict hit 44.6 percent of its shots, but made just five of 20 3-point attempts. Stillman shot 36 percent, but made 11 of 30 3-pointers. Stillman struggled at the line, making just 12 of 24 free throws.