CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Benedict College men's basketball team won its third straight game to open the season with a 59-45 victory over Livingstone College in the Johnson C. Smith Tip-Off Classic Friday night.
Brennan Reynard scored 13 points and had eight assists, while
Quayshun Hawkins also scored 13 points.
Jordan Smith scored 11 points, with nine coming in the second half on three 3-pointers, while
Christopher Spencer pulled down 14 rebounds.
The Tigers improved to 3-0. Livingstone dropped to 0-3.
The first half ended in a 19-19 tie as both teams struggled shooting. Benedict shot 20.6 percent in the first half, while the Blue Bears shot 29.2 percent. Livingstone jumped out to an early 11-1 lead, but the Tigers outscored the Blue Bears 11-3 over the final three minutes of the first half. Spencer scored on a layup right before the buzzer to tie the score.
The Tigers took charge in the second half, taking a 27-21 lead after a 3-pointer by Smith. Benedict took a 39-27 lead on a 3-pointer by Hawkins, then took their biggest lead, 53-33, after a fast-break layup by Reynard.
Benedict forced 27 Livingstone turnovers and converted those into 26 points.
The Tigers will face tournament host Johnson C. Smith at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
