Montgomery, Ala. — William Carey opened its SSAC Tournament run with a 99-86 victory over Tennessee Southern at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Thursday night. The Crusaders led wire-to-wire in the game.
Carey jumped out early, with Javeon Gordon opening the scoring with a three-pointer. Arzika Seibou added another at the 17-minute mark, giving the Crusaders an 8-4 lead. Malik Franklin then hit back-to-back threes to extend the margin to 18-8 with less than 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
Tennessee Southern battled to stay within striking distance, with De’Marreon Baldwin and Mike Bell driving to cut the lead to 32-26 with six minutes left before halftime. Carey responded with a run, with Anthony Richards pushing the lead to nine and Roberts knocking down a three-pointer to make it 43-31. The Firehawks kept fighting, with Jack Harper hitting two threes late in the half, but Carey maintained a 55-44 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, Carey increased its defensive intensity. Robinson made four straight free throws during a 6-2 run to keep the Crusaders ahead. Tennessee Southern’s Antonio Cochran sparked a comeback, scoring three straight baskets to narrow the gap to 61-56 with 13 minutes remaining.
Carey responded immediately. Roberts scored on a tough layup, and Franklin added another basket to push the lead back to double digits. The game turned midway through the half when Franklin and Roberts hit consecutive threes, increasing the lead to 73-62. Robinson then converted an and-one, stretching the advantage to 79-65. Tennessee Southern made a final push, with Cochran hitting a three to cut the lead to nine with five minutes remaining.
William Carey sealed the win with key baskets from Roberts and Franklin, including Franklin’s seventh three-pointer, a new season high. Franklin led all scorers with a career-high 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting, including eight three-pointers. Roberts contributed 18 points and six steals, Robinson added 16 points, and Gordon finished with 13.
The Crusaders advance to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Life versus Loyola game. The matchup is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
