AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Benedict College Tigers ended the 2019-20 regular season on a high note, defeating Paine College, 93-75, on Tuesday night in a SIAC men's basketball game.
Benedict improves to 13-15 overall and 9-10 in the SIAC. Paine College drops to 4-21 overall and 3-16 in the SIAC.
Tyrese Mapp led the Tigers with a season-high 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting.
Tajh Green added 15 points and exploded for a season-high 17 rebounds.
Joseph Staton contributed with 14 points and a game-high six assists.
Five different Tigers jumped into the scoring column in the first 10 minutes of the game as Benedict took a 16-13 lead. The Tigers went on a 15-5 run in the next seven minutes of the first half to extend their lead to 31-18 with 3:08 remaining until the break.
Benedict held a 39-32 lead heading into halftime.
After Paine closed the gap to 43-42, the Tigers went on a 15-2 run to take a 58-44 lead with 12:55 remaining in the game. Benedict continued the strong play as the half progressed, outscoring the Lions 33-22 to extend their lead to 91-66 with 1:50 remaining in regulation. Benedict held on to pick up the win and carry the momentum into the conference tournament.
Benedict held a 42-34 scoring advantage in the paint, while also holding a 29-21 advantage in bench points.
Benedict will compete in the SIAC Basketball Tournament next week at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center in Rock Hill, S.C. The Tigers will likely be the fifth seed from the East Division and face the fourth seed from the West Division on Monday at 5:45 p.m. Official pairings will be announced by the SIAC league office later this week.
