CHARLOTTE, N.C. | For the second consecutive night, the Tuskegee University men's basketball team will play on the road as they face Johnson C. Smith University tonight at Brayboy Gymnasium. The game tips at 7 pm (est), and will be final non-conference game until February 7 and the final game of the 2016 portion of the schedule as they team will be off until January 2.
Tuskegee (1-9, 0-2 SIAC) looks to get back on track after a loss to Clark-Atlanta Wednesday night, and looks to do so against a team that have recorded their lone win of the season against in Johnson C. Smith. The two teams met back on December 4 - another back-to-back game performance for the Golden Tigers in two different venues - with Tuskegee coming out on top 61-53.
In that earlier win against Johnson C. Smith (3-6, 0-0 CIAA),
Austin Cherry led Tuskegee with 19 points off the bench. The sophomore finished the night with 19 points in 27 minutes off the bench, connecting on 50 (6-of-12) percent of his shots from the floor including a pair of baseline drives that put the game out of reach in the second half. Sophomore
Joshua Culver finished with his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while blocking a pair of shots and connected on 5-of-7 shots from the floor in the win.
Sophomore
James Eads finished the night with 11 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the free throw line, before fouling out with four minutes to play.
Myles Thomas finished with 10 points for the Golden Tigers, who narrowly missed having five players in double figures as
Travis Flagg finished with eight.
SERIES HISTORY (since 2012-13)
JOHNSON C. SMITH (3-6, 0-0 CIAA)
Overall Series: Johnson C. Smith leads 2-1
Streak: Tuskegee, one win
Last: Tuskegee def. Johnson C. Smith, 61-53 (12/4/16)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TUSKEGEE
James Eads: 16.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg 0.7 apg
Travis Flagg: 11.8 ppg 3.1 ppg, 2.4 apg
Elijah McMillan: 5.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg (playing back-to-back games for the first time this season
JOHNSON C. SMITH
Robert Davis: 15.8 ppg 3.0 rpg
Christian Kirchman: 13.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg (46 total assists)
NOTEWORTHY
* Sophomore
James Eads was named to the Preseason All-SIAC
team and has played like it through the first nine games of the year for the Golden Tigers. Although Tuskegee is struggling in the early portion of the season, Eads
has done his best to carry the load for the Golden Tigers, scoring in double figures in all but one game - the season opener against Palm Beach Atlantic.
* Joshua Culver recorded the first double-double of the season for the Golden Tigers, and it just so happened to come in the team's first victory of the season when they defeated Johnson C. Smith (12/4/16). Culver poured in a season-high 13 points and pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds. It is the second career double-double for Culver in his short career.
* Junior Elijah McMillan returned to action for the Golden Tigers against Clark Atlanta, his first of the 2016-17 season. The junior responded with five points and six rebounds in a 21-point loss on the road against the Panthers - the second conference loss of the season for the Golden Tigers.
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