BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LeMoyne-Owen College outscored Benedict 50-33 in the second half to upset the East's No. 1 seed and defending SIAC Tournament Champions 78-73 in the 2016 SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday in the Bill Harris Arena.

Benedict shot 55.2 percent in the first half and built a 40-28 lead at the break. But the Magicians outscored the Tigers 15-4 at the start of the second half to cut the lead to 44-43. From then on, it was a tight race until the Magicians eventually built an 11-point lead with 2:02 left in the game. The Tigers were able to close the gap in the final minute thanks to some hot shooting by Justin Metze and Brennan Reynard.

The loss ends the season for the Tigers at 16-12. LeMoyne-Owen, now 15-14, advances to the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. on Friday to face either Claflin or Miles. Those two teams face off on Thursday.

Reynard finished his illustrious career at Benedict with a team-high 17 points and a game-high seven assists. Reynard, the 2016 SIAC Tournament MVP, finishes with 1,174 career points and 481 assists. Quiron Cooke added 15 points.

Rashawn Brown led LeMoyne-Owen with 24 points, with 20 of those coming in the second half. Justin Street scored 22 points, and Jerry Hampton had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

In the first half, Benedict shot a sizzling 55.2 percent, while holding LeMoyne-Owen to 34.6 percent shooting. The figures were reversed in the second half, with Benedict shooting 36.1 percent, while the Magicians shot 57.6 percent. The Magicians got hot from 3-point range in the second half, making 5-of-7, after missing all six long range shots in the first half.

Jose Roman-Angueira, playing in his first game since getting injured against Claflin on Jan. 30, had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. Reynard has played most of the season with an injured shoulder and the Tigers battled other injuries throughout the year. Rydealous Taylor, who has started 24 games, missed Wednesday's game with a family emergency.