COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College men's basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 SIAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championship presented by Toyota with another strong defensive performance to defeat the Lane Dragons 59-52 on Saturday afternoon at C.A. Johnson High School.
 
The Tigers, the fourth seed from the SIAC East Division, now advance to take on Tuskegee, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 at the Arena at Southlake in Morrow, Ga.
 
Benedict improves to 12-13 overall. Lane ends it season at 10-17.
 
After a close, hard-fought first half, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to open up a 38-25 lead. A 3-pointer by Cristian Willis gave Benedict its largest lead, 52-34, with 9:18 left to play. The Dragons went on a 16-4 run late in the game to cut the lead to 56-50 with 43 seconds left. Benedict sealed the game by hitting three of four free throws in the final 23 seconds.
 
The Tigers held Lane to 34.8 percent shooting (16-of-46) and outrebounded the Dragons 46-29. Benedict had a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Caleb Hymon led the Tigers with 13 points, while Cole White added 10 points. Kameron Foman grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
The Tigers now prepare to take on Tuskegee (20-6), ranked seventh in the NCAA South Region. Benedict lost two regular season meetings, falling 46-43 in Tuskegee in December, and losing 60-49 in Columbia on Feb. 7.