ROCK HILL, S.C. (February 28, 2022) – The Spring Hill College (SHC) men's basketball team opened the 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship Tournament with a 75-66 victory over the Albany State University (ASU) Golden Rams at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.
The East Division's 5
th-seeded Golden Rams (10-20) trailed the West Division's 4
th-seeded Badgers by a slim 29-28 margin at halftime and claimed a 41-40 lead with 13 minutes left on the clock.
The final 10 minutes of the game belonged to the Badgers, however, as SHC built out a 9-point 69-60 bulge with 2:14 remaining. The Badgers would take care of business, sealing the win with six consecutive free throws over the final 28 seconds of the contest.
Beril Kabamba scored 22 points with 11 rebounds for the Badgers while
Jaden Gray pitched in 18 points and
Tana Kopa contributed 17 points.
Steven Lyles came off the bench to add 11 points to the Badger scorebook. SHC won the battle of the boards 37-31, but lost 17 turnovers to nine steals by the Rams. The Badgers shot 49.1% (26-53) from the floor and an even 50% (9-18) from 3-point land.
Malik Parker scored 18 points to lead the Rams as ASU shot 41% (25-61) overall and just 22.2% (4-18) from long distance while suffering 13 turnovers to four steals by SHC.
Spring Hill earned its first victory at the SIAC Championship Tournament since becoming eligible for NCAA Division II postseason play before the 2018-2019 season.
The Badgers (9-18) now advance to play in the quarterfinal round versus the East Division No. 1 seed the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers (21-6) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (east).
