Box Score
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Paine College pulled away in the final three minutes to edge Benedict College 71-65 on Saturday, handing the Tigers their second straight loss.

The Tigers fell to 12-7 overall and 7-4 in the SIAC. Paine improved to 10-10 overall and 6-5 in the SIAC.

Paine used its superior height advantage to hold a huge 47-28 rebounding advantage. The Lions grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and had a 19-4 advantage in second-chance points.

The game was close throughout much of the second half. After Paine took a seven-point lead early in the second half, the Tigers came back and took a 41-40 lead on a layup by Deonte Johnson with 13:18 to play. The game stayed tight the rest of the way. A three-point play by Lamar Adkins gave the Tigers a 56-55 lead with 4:38 left to play.

After Paine pulled ahead 60-56 on a pair of free throws by Adrian Caldwell, Adkins scored on a jump shot to cut the lead to 60-58 with 1:56 left. Paine got a layup by Jordan Warner to put the Lions back in front by four points. Adkins missed a free throw for the Tigers, and Paine got a layup by Toby Veal for a 64-58 lead with 46 seconds left. The Lions hit five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.

Adkins led Benedict with 21 points, while Justin Peeples added 10 points.

Warner led Paine with 24 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds. Veal added 12 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Kendric Taylor had 11 points and seven rebounds. Those three combined for 32 rebounds, more than Benedict's entire team, which had 28.

Paine had a 10-point lead in the first half, before the Tigers were able to close the gap to 32-29 at the half.

Benedict continues its long home stand with three games next week, starting with rival Claflin on Monday, at 7:30 p.m.