Box Score FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State suffered its first conference loss of the year, falling 76-75 to Benedict in the final minute in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball action Monday at the Exum Center.
It was a game that was closely contested throughout, with 16 lead changes and neither team leading by more than nine points. The game was tied at 73 in the final minute when Benedict's Jordan Smith sank a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left. The Thorobreds answered with a driving layup by
Tryston Ford, then were able to force a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass. With a chance to take the lead, Kentucky State managed an off-balance 3-point attempt by
Kevin Shaw which missed the mark as time expired.
Julius Barton had 14 points to lead a balanced Kentucky State attack that placed four players in double figures. Shaw and
Malcolm Smith each added 13, while Ford contributed 11. The Thorobreds'
William Bryant led all players with 11 rebounds, while
Dorian Jordan had a game-high eight assists.
Kentucky State jumped out to an 18-9 lead, but Benedict responded with a 13-3 run to take back the lead. The first half was closely contested the rest of the way, with Kentucky State taking a 38-36 lead to the half after a Ford layup.
The Thorobreds went up 51-44 after a 9-0 run in which Smith scored five points, and they went on to lead most of the second half. However, Kentucky State was unable to pull away, and Benedict eventually took the lead back at 70-69 on a Smith 3-pointer at the 4:29 mark. The Thorobreds briefly took back the lead at 73-72 on a
Reggie Breeden layup, only to see Benedict answer with Smith's final 3-pointer.
Kentucky State shot 45 percent (29-of-64) overall and 37 percent (7-of-19) from outside, while Benedict shot 47 percent (32-of-68) from the field and 35 percent (8-of-23) from outside. The Thorobreds had a 45-33 rebounding advantage.
With the loss, Kentucky State drops to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in SIAC competition, while Benedict improves to 8-2 on the year and 3-0 in the conference. The Thorobreds are off until they travel to Fort Valley State on Jan. 2.
