COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 11^th-ranked Benedict College men's basketball team used a 13-0 run in the first half to build a comfortable lead and cruised to an 83-53 victory over Savannah State in a SIAC men's basketball contest on Wednesday night in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena.
 
Benedict had a 9-7 lead early in the first half when they scored the next 13 points for a 22-7 lead with 11:10 remaining in the first half. After Savannah State sank a pair of free throws, Benedict scored the next 14 straight points to build the lead to 36-9 and had a 44-17 lead at the halftime break.
 
Benedict scored the first five points of the second half to build a 32-point lead, and Benedict maintained a 30-point or more lead throughout the second half. Benedict had as much as a 39-point lead, 67-28, with 12:14 left to play.
 
Brandon Smith and Malachi McCoy led the Benedict Tigers with 15 points each. McCoy also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double. Asanti Price and Gob Gabriel chipped in 10 points each.
 
Benedict held Savannah State to an opponent season-low 29 percent shooting (18-of-62). Benedict shot 47.2 percent, and sank 10 3-pointers, while Savannah State made just one of eight 3-pointers.
 
Benedict and Savannah State will have a rematch in Savannah on Saturday at 4 p.m.