COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers got balanced scoring and held Stillman to 37 percent shooting to open Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 67-58 victory over the Stillman Tigers on Saturday afternoon in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

Andrew Crawford and Roberto Mantovani had 11 points each for Benedict, as 12 players scored for the Tigers. Benedict improved to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the SIAC. Stillman dropped to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the SIAC.

Rodnerius Lewis led Stillman with 22 points, 17 coming in the first half. Markeith Madison added 14 points.

Stillman came out and scored the first nine points of the game. Benedict took its first lead of the game, 20-19, on a 3-pointer by Crawford with 7:42 left in the first half. Benedict scored eight straight points to take a 32-23 lead with 1:12 left in the half. Kareem Ransom scored a pair of layups in that stretch.

Benedict had a 32-25 lead at the break.

A 9-0 run early in the second half gave Benedict a 44-30 lead after a three-point play by Mantovani.

A 3-pointer by Stillman's Maurice Crenshaw cut the lead to 54-51 with 4:39 left to play, but Crawford answered with three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Stillman made it 57-55 on a three-point play by Madison with 2:43 left to play.

A three-point play by Deonte Johnson gave Benedict a 60-55 lead. Two more free throws by Johnson pushed the lead to 62-55 with a minute to play. The Tigers sealed the game at the free-throw line, as Brennan Reynard sank three and Ransom added two more.

The Tigers are back in action on Monday with a home conference game against Tuskegee at 7:30 p.m.