Brandon Fischer had a second half double-double as Spring Hill College roared back from a 14-point halftime deficit to stun Tuskegee University, 70-69, in SIAC action from Tuskegee, Ala., Monday night.
Down 42-28 at the half, SHC (8-17, 4-12 SIAC) flipped the script on the hosts by taking the second half 42-27 for the one-point win. The second half started on a strong note for the Badgers as SHC used a 9-1 run over the first 3:38 of the period to pull within six, 43-37.
The Golden Tigers (12-12, 8-8 SIAC) would roar back with a run, with a monster dunk on the fast break sending SHC into a timeout down 51-40. The Badgers would slowly answer back, with Fischer and
Gresyn Rogers hitting on 3-pointers on consecutive trips down court to bring SHC within five. After a 3-pointer pushed the lead back to eight for the hosts at 54-46, the Badgers would go on a 9-0 run, capped by a Jeffrey Pharr lay-up to take the lead, 55-54. TU took the lead back with a pair of free-throws, but a Fischer lay-up in transition gave the Badgers the lead for good with just over six minutes remaining, 57-56.
Fischer's lay-up sparked an 8-0 run for the Badgers, highlighted by 3-pointers from
Christian Brandt and Rogers that made it 65-56 with 4:40 to go. From there, the Badgers would have to seal the deal at the charity stripe, with
Jared Holland making four key free-throws down the stretch to hand the Badgers the win.
Fischer had 19 points and 14 rebounds, with 13 points and 12 boards coming in the second half. For the game, the Badgers had 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second chance points. Rogers hit on three 3-pointers as part of a 13-point effort, while Holland made it a trio of Badgers in double-figures with 11 points.
Kaleb Morton's 23 points for Tuskegee were a game-high, with all seven of his made field goals coming from beyond the arc.Â
The win for the Badgers snaps a two-game SIAC losing streak and allows SHC to complete a regular season sweep of the Golden Tigers. SHC will next be in action this Saturday in Memphis, Tenn., against Lemoyne-Owen. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball squads from the two schools.
