ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Benedict College men's basketball team opened the 2017-18 season with an 86-74 victory over Montevallo on Friday night in the GSC/SAIC Challenge, hosted by Claflin University.

The Tigers placed four players in double figures, with Jelani Watson-Gayle leading the way with 23 points. Watson-Gayle hit four 3-pointers, as the Tigers made 9-of-19 from beyond the arc in the contest.

Cairo Brown added 17 points, Rodney Prichard added 14 and Dimitri Cook chipped in 11. Umar Frost had a game-high nine rebounds and added two blocked shots.

Benedict went on a huge 20-0 run in the first half to take command. Montevallo had a 15-13 lead with 10:37 on the clock. The Tigers scored the next 20 points, with Watson-Gayle capping off the run with a 3-pointer for a 33-15 lead with 3:57 left in the half. Benedict held a 42-24 lead at the break.

Benedict held a double-digit lead for most of the second half. The Tigers built their largest lead, 49-26, early in the second half. Benedict still had a 71-51 lead with 6:31 remaining before Montevallo staged a late rally and cut the lead to 77-69 with 1:44 left. The Tigers hit six straight free throws and added a layup by Devante Wiltshire to close out the contest.

Benedict, now 1-0, will take on Auburn-Montgomery at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The home opener is Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Carver.