MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Junior guard Marcus Jackson converted a pair of free throws with .3 seconds left on the clock to lift Auburn Montgomery over region rival Tuskegee on Tuesday evening at the AUM Gymnasium, giving the Warhawks a 68-66 victory in men's basketball action.
 
NOTES
• AUM improves to 2-2 to start the season while Tuskegee falls to 0-5.
• The game marked the first home contest of the season for the Warhawks.
• Tuskegee led by as much as 16 points in the second half.
• The Warhawks avenge a 60-49 loss to the Golden Tigers last season.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Darrion Taylor scored a team-high 13 points and dished out three assists on the evening.
• Desmond DeRamus scored 12 to go along with three assists and two steals.
• Airen Brooks tallied 12 points and a team-high five rebounds.
• TU's Greg Boyd scored a game-high 19 points.
• James Eads had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Tigers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
• AUM had a strong start to the contest, jumping out to a 7-2 lead off of a 3-pointer by Taylor at the 17:30 mark, only to see the Golden Tigers go on a 9-4 run to tie the game at 11 on a Boyd trey with 13:24 to play in the first.
• TU would then go on a 14-4 run to take a 25-15 lead with 7:52 to go in the first, capped off by a Travis Flagg layup.
• Tuskegee pushed their lead to as much as 31-17 at the 4:44 mark in the first, but the Warhawks would finish the frame on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 33-26 heading into halftime.
• The second half opened with the Golden Tigers going on a 12-3 run to take a 45-29 lead with 14:44 to play in the contest keeping AUM at arm's length for much of the second half.
• With 5:58 to play in the contest, a Brooks layup cut the deficit to single digits at 54-46, only to have Brooks hit a trey with 5:12 to go to cut the lead to 56-51.
• The two teams would trade points back and forth over the next couple of minutes, with Jarett Croff pulling the Warhawks to within three points at 64-61 with a layup at the 1:47 mark.
• AUM forced a turnover on the next Tuskegee possession and Taylor would hit a trey from the end line to tie the game at 64-64 with 1:14 on the clock.
• TU retook the lead on a pair of Eads free throws, only to see Marcus Jackson tie the game on a layup with 36 seconds to play.
• With the clock running down and Tuskegee in possession of the ball, DeRamus blocked an Eads jumper from the baseline, gained the rebound, and passed it to a streaking Jackson who was heading towards the AUM basket. The Golden Tigers would foul Jackson as he attempted a buzzer beater with .3 seconds left on the clock. Jackson would convert both free throws to give AUM the victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
• AUM outscored TU 20-6 in the paint, and 16-8 off of turnovers.
• TU outrebounded AUM 34-27.
• AUM only led for 6:45 of the contest.
 
UP NEXT
AUM will head to Daytona Beach, Fla., this weekend to take part in the 2017 Bahama House Shootout, hosted by Embry-Riddle University. The Warhawks will take on the Eagles of ERU on Friday evening at 7 p.m. and will either take on Wingate University or GSC rival West Alabama on Saturday afternoon, in either the championship game or consolation game of the tournament.
 
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