COLUMBIA, S.C. – LaTeia Brailey had 15 points and Benedict College held off a late rally to defeat Kentucky State 50-47 in an SIAC women's basketball game on Saturday at the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Benedict improves to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in the SIAC. Kentucky State falls to 1-1 and 0-1 in the SIAC.

Benedict had a 26-13 lead at the half, and built as much as a 17-point lead before Kentucky State rallied back to close the gap.

A layup by Benedict's LaTayvia Mack gave the Lady Tigers some breathing room, making the score 50-44. But Kentucky State's Jasmine Davis hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to three points. The Lady Thorobreds missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds which could have forced the game into overtime.

Alexus Jones had 12 points, and Brittany Jackson added 11 points for Benedict. Santera Grooms had a team-high eight rebounds.

Jasmine Davis led Kentucky State with 12 points, while Raven Ward and Kristi Malohi each had 10 points.

“In the last seven minutes of the game, we got too relaxed and Kentucky State didn't stop playing,” said Benedict Coach Felecia Jenkins. “We were fortunate to get away with the win against a good team.”

Benedict is back in action on Monday in a conference double-header against Lane. The women's game starts at 5:30 p.m. with the men's game to follow.

boxscore