Benton Leads Tuskegee to First Championship Since 1983

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Statistically, there wasn’t much that separated Tuskegee and Kentucky State in Sunday’s Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s championship game. But from beginning to end, the Golden Tigerettes got a big-time performance from star Crystal Benton that carried them to a league title. The senior forward scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, thoroughly outplaying everyone else on the floor, in leading Tuskegee to a 59-55 win and SIAC title at Fair Park Arena.

Benton was named the tournament’s most outstanding player as she led Tuskegee (21-8) to its first SIAC title since 1983.

“We rode her back the whole season,” said Tuskegee head coach Belinda Roby. “We didn’t expect it to change today.”

In contrast, Kentucky State’s top player, senior forward Mattie Jones, never got untracked. She played only seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble and finished with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting.

“It was nothing they were doing,” said Jones, whose team finished the season 19-11. “I just felt like my shots weren’t falling in.”

Benton served notice early that she would be hard to stop. She scored 12 of Tuskegee’s first 17 points, including three long 3-pointers, to spark the offense.

“There was no set plan,” Benton said. “It’s about the matchups, just reading what the defense gives you.”

KSU head coach Stephanie Evans said she was prepared to handle Benton’s onslaught.

“I told my team she was going to get her points. She’s been playing outside herself this tournament. We just wanted to make sure the other four players didn’t play outside themselves,” Evans said.

Unlike Tuskegee’s first two games of the tourney, it was unable to run up big margins in the first half and coast to victory. Every time the Golden Tigerettes looked like they were going to finish off the Thorobrettes, KSU found a way to fight back.

With Jones and Kiarra Morgan, the stars of Kentucky State’s semifinal victory over Stillman, on the bench in foul trouble midway through the first half, Tuskegee was able to open a lead as large as 11 points. But the Thorobrettes closed the half on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 36-33 going into the locker room. Tuskegee, again, was able to jump out to a double-digit lead in the second half, taking a 55-42 advantage with just less than six minutes left in the game. But the Kentucky State defense, which forced 26 TU turnovers, helped the Thorobrettes get to within two points with 1:21 remaining.

With a chance to tie or take the lead, Jones was called for traveling with 40 seconds remaining. Tuskegee’s Rishaundra Gartrell (10 points) would knock down two free throws with 13 seconds left and after Brittany Evans stole the ball from Latrice Watkins on the ensuing possession, the Golden Tigerettes were able to run out the clock.

Tiffany Barrentine was the only KSU player in double figures, scoring 11 points. Aisha Johnson added 11 points for Tuskegee. 

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