Knights Top Talladega in Overtime

It took one overtime period, but in the end, SUNO Men's Basketball (3-8, 2-1) walked off the court Friday night with an 87-77 win over Talladega.

The Knights were paced by freshman point guard Donte Briggs with 19 points, four steals, and three assists. Fellow freshman Tyrese Johnson added 11 points, four assists, and four steals.

SUNO's bigs Jamal Gibson and Devin Daniels both clocked a double-double, marking the 39^th consecutive for Gibson. Daniels finished with 12 points,10 rebounds, and two blocks. Gibson capped the night with 17 points, 11 boards, two blocks and three assists.

The Knights got off to a hot start, jumping to an 18-8 lead in the first six minutes of play. After extending the lead to 12 on a made three by Johnson (23-11), Talladega went on a 10-2 run, capitalized by threes from Corey Sands and Tre Simmons, to bring the Tornadoes within four (25-21) with 9:25 to play in the first half. Dega would tie the game twice before taking its first lead of the game, 31-30, on another three-pointer by Sands. The Knights and Tornadoes frantically traded points for the rest of the first half, and Dega took a 40-38 lead into intermission.

The second half picked up where the first half left off as both teams jockeyed for the lead. The Tornadoes extended their lead to six (48-42) at the 16:52 mark on a jumper by Lamont Sams, but sharp-shooting Briggs energized the crowd with another three-ball to bring the Knights within three (45-48).  The Knights extended their lead to 54-50, but the song and dance continued as the teams traded baskets. The game was tied at 60 with 5:45 to play when Derek Burditt connected on a jumper, putting Dega up 62-60. Gavin Harris would tie the game for the Knights on two made free throws, but the Tornadoes jumped to a 66-63 lead with 4:31 to play.

Johnson would grab another steal and dish the ball to Harris for a mid-range jumper. A quick turnover by the Tornadoes and a jumper by Daniels put the Knights up 67-66 with 4:03 to play in regulation. With just under three minutes to play, Dega took a 71-67 lead. SUNO would tie the game at 71 with 41 seconds to play, capitalizing on Dega turnovers and made jumpers by Daniels and Tyon Thompson. Missed shots by both teams to close out the game sent the teams into an extra five minutes of play.

It was overtime when SUNO's defensive pressure and offensive patience proved too much for the Tornadoes to handle. The Knights scored first in overtime and never relinquished their lead when  Briggs knocked down three free throws after a Tre Simmons foul beyond the arc. Briggs followed with a steal, allowing Gibson to connect with Daniels for a short jumper and a 76-71 lead for the Knights. The Tornadoes threatened a comeback, but Briggs nailed his fifth three-pointer of the game to put SUNO up 81-73 with 2:39 to play in overtime.

Gibson ensured the lead stayed at eight when he grabbed an offensive rebound and putback jumper, pushing the Knights' lead to 83-75. It then became a foul and stop the clock strategy for the Tornadoes, but that only extended the Knights' lead as Briggs and Daniels went 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to give the Knights a 12-point lead. The game ended with Sams knocking down two free throws for Dega, but SUNO had sealed the deal with a dominating extra period.

SUNO ended the game shooting 4-6 from the field, and 7-9 from the free throw line in overtime. They outrebounded the Tornadoes 6-to-3 in overtime.

The Knights scored 23 points off Dega turnovers while committing a season-low 13 turnovers. SUNO also scored 15 second-chance points.

The Knights, now 2-1 in conference play, take on Oakwood Saturday, December 14 at 8 p.m.in the second game of the HBCU Athletic Conference Crossover.