William Carey opened its 2026-27 men’s basketball season with a 97-90 loss to Talladega on Friday in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Crusaders briefly led 43-38 after an Arzika Seibou 3-pointer late in the first half, but Talladega rallied to take a 52-47 halftime lead. The Tornadoes extended the advantage to 63-53 six minutes into the second half.
Carey cut the deficit to two points with eight straight points from Jamarion Smith and Malik Franklin. Talladega answered with a 10-2 run to lead 75-63, then held off another Crusaders push that narrowed the margin to 80-76 with five minutes left.
Franklin led Carey with 20 points. Troy Dunn scored 11, while Dwight Brown and Seibou had 10 apiece. The Crusaders were scheduled to face Milligan University at 3 p.m. Saturday in Montgomery.
