COLUMBIA, S.C. – Malachi McCoy came off the bench to score 17 points and grab 12 rebounds and help lead the Benedict College Tigers to a 73-62 victory over Tuskegee in their SIAC opener on Saturday afternoon.

Brandon Smith added 15 points, while Tyrese Mapp contributed with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Benedict improves to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the SIAC. Tuskegee falls to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the SIAC.

The Tigers scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed. A dunk by McCoy gave Benedict a 17-7 lead midway through the first half. Tuskegee rallied to cut the lead to 25-23 before McCoy scored on a layup just before the half for a 27-23 halftime lead.

Tuskegee trailed 29-26 early in the second half before Benedict scored the next five points. The Golden Tigers trimmed the lead to 38-35 with 14:12 left in the game, but the Tigers went on a 7-1 run to push the lead to 45-36 with 12:26 remaining. After Tuskegee cut the lead to 47-41, Benedict went on an 11-2 run for a 58-43 lead with 8:12 remaining.

The Tigers return to action on Monday, hosting Spring Hill College at 7:30 p.m. in another SIAC contest.