COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College men's basketball team opened it's Coach Dannton Jackson era with a 76-73 victory over Columbia International University in an exhibition game on Wednesday night at the Moore Fitness Center.
 
The CIU Rams pulled ahead in the second half, but the Tigers used a 7-0 spurt to retake the lead and held on for the victory.
 
Benedict led 32-29 at the half, but Columbia International pulled ahead for their largest lead, 46-40, with 12:02 left in the game. A 3-pointer gave the Rams a 52-47 lead with 8:48 remaining. A 3-pointer by Malachi Chavis gave the Tigers a 56-54 lead and they never trailed again. The Tigers built the lead to 70-63, their largest lead of the game, after a jumper by Cole White with 1:27 left to play.
 
Landon Jeffries led the Tigers with 23 points and six assists. He was 11-of-17 from the free-throw line. White added 18 points, while Malachi Chavis added 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
 
The Tigers will play another exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 12, when they host Denmark Technical College at 7 p.m. in the Benjamin E. Mays HRC Arena. The regular season will open Nov. 20 at Central State, with the home opener on Dec. 4 against LeMoyne-Owen.