COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers won their fifth straight game with a 56-48 victory over Albany State University in a men's basketball SIAC contest on Saturday afternoon in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.

The Tigers outscored the Golden Rams 17-6 over the final 7:45 to pull away for the victory.

Benedict improves to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in the SIAC. Albany State falls to 2-16 overall and 1-8 in the SIAC.

Rydealous Taylor led the Tigers with 19 points. Jordan Floyd led the Golden Rams with 14 points.

Albany State scored the first five points of the game, but Taylor hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Tigers a one-point lead. The scored remained close the rest of the first half. Jose Roman-Angueira hit a free throw to tie the game at 21 at the half.

The Golden Rams pulled ahead 38-30 in the second half on a jumper by Jordan Floyd with 12:41 left to play. Taylor hit a jumper and a 3-pointer, while Christopher Spencer scored a layup to cut the lead to 38-37. Quiron Cooke hit two free throws with 6:18 left to give the Tigers a 43-42 lead and Benedict would not relinquish the lead.

Benedict built a 47-42 lead, but the Golden Rams got a 3-pointer by Keldreion Miller to make it 47-45 with 2:19 left to play. The Tigers hit 9-of-10 free throws over the final 1:46 to seal the win.

Benedict had a decisive advantage at the free-throw line, making 22-of-31 for the game, while Albany State attempted just eight free throws for the entire game, making just three.

The chilly outside temperatures also reflected the shooting of both teams, especially from 3-point range. Benedict was 4-of-17 from long range for 23.5 percent, while Albany State was 3-of-21 for 14 percent from beyond the arc.

Benedict travels to face Clark Atlanta on Thursday at 8 p.m.