ATLANTA, Ga. – The Benedict College women's basketball team opened the new year with a 71-64 victory over Clark Atlanta University on Saturday in a SIAC matchup.
 
The Lady Tigers closed out the third quarter with an 8-1 run to pull away from a close game and take a seven-point lead, 53-46, heading into the fourth quarter. Benedict built as much as a nine-point lead, 56-47, in the fourth quarter before the Lady Panthers rallied to take a 62-61 lead with 3:51 left to play. The Lady Tigers then finished the game with a 10-2 run to secure the victory.
 
Benedict regained the lead on a layup by Raven Johnson, then got another layup off an offensive rebound by Andrea Duncan. A fast-break jumper by Alaysia Nash gave Benedict a 67-62 lead with 45 seconds left. Benedict sealed the game with the final four points in the final 27 seconds at the free-throw line.
 
The Lady Tigers got balanced scoring, with Duncan and Asiah Harris scoring 11 points each off the bench. Nash scored 10 points. Aaliyah Lawrence scored 8 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Benedict dominated the boards, out-rebounding Clark Atlanta 66-27, and had a 35-5 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Benedict improves to 5-5 overall and 5-5 in the SIAC. Clark Atlanta falls to 5-7 overall and 5-4 in the SIAC. The Lady Tigers will continue their road trip with a SIAC matchup against Fort Valley State on Monday at 5:30 p.m.