MOBILE, Ala. — The Spring Hill College men's basketball team battled throughout but couldn't overcome a hot-shooting first half from the Benedict College Tigers in an 84-71 Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference loss Wednesday night at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.
Spring Hill (4-22, 4-18 SIAC) stayed within reach early and made several second-half pushes behind balanced scoring, but Benedict (11-12, 11-12 SIAC) maintained control to secure the conference win.
Rocco Lamuno led the Badgers with 20 points and four three-pointers, while
Alvin Cole added 19 points.
Amaan Sanni contributed 14 points, and
Brian Harris finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
Rapid Recap:
Spring Hill struck first with back-to-back 3-pointers from
Ruben Bos and later took a brief lead as Lamuno and Cole converted from the free-throw line and in transition. The Badgers kept the contest tight through the opening minutes, tying the game at 21 on a Lamuno 3-pointer midway through the half.
Benedict responded with a sustained scoring run fueled by efficient shooting inside and from the perimeter. Despite baskets from Cole, Lamuno, and Sanni to keep the Badgers within reach, the Tigers closed the half on a surge to take a 42-32 advantage into the break. Spring Hill shot 33.3 percent from the field in the half but stayed competitive by going 10-of-12 at the free-throw line.
Spring Hill opened the second half looking to chip away at the deficit, getting early scoring from Cole and Lamuno from beyond the arc. A Lamuno three-pointer and several trips to the line by Harris and Sanni helped the Badgers trim the margin to around 10 points midway through the half.
The Tigers answered each run with timely baskets, pushing the lead back to double digits with a series of transition scores and second-chance opportunities. Spring Hill continued to battle, with Cole attacking the paint and Sanni converting at the line, cutting the deficit to single digits briefly in the closing minutes.
Despite the late push and 39-second-half points, the Badgers couldn't complete the comeback as Benedict closed out the 84-71 final.
Notes and Numbers:
- Lamuno led Spring Hill with 20 points, hitting 4-of-6 from three-point range.
- Cole added 19 points and five rebounds.
- Sanni scored 14 points and went 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.
- Harris finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
- Spring Hill shot 77.4 percent (24-of-31) from the free-throw line.
- The Badgers hit nine 3-pointers and scored 39 points in the second half.
- Benedict shot 55.9 percent from the field and scored 46 points in the paint.
Up Next:
The Badgers wrap the regular season at home Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Allen University.
