WILBERFORCE, Ohio — Throughout the collegiate basketball world, this weekend highlighted the plight to end racism in sports. This was centered around the historic 1944 "Secret Game" between North Carolina Central and Duke University, highlighting segregation in sports. Under the mantra "This Game is No Secret," the Marauders of
Central State University faced conference opponent
Spring Hill College to commemorate its historic predecessor in Durham.
Brandon Scott started the contest with a Coach Lewis classic backdoor cut, knifing apart the opponent’s defense. The scoring lead flipped between both teams as there were five lead changes early until the Marauders took control of the first half. At the 13-minute mark of the first quarter,
Javante Randle got the crowd to its feet, throwing down an emphatic dunk. This was followed by a 3-pointer from
Raevon Thomas. With 11 minutes before halftime, Randle raided the rim again, rising above the opposition for another thunderous finish. Staying above the rim, Scott finished the first half with a two-handed jam, raising the roof in Beacon Lewis Gymnasium. The Marauders finished the first half with a 40-33 lead.
The Marauders continued their dominance in the second half with a 14-point scoring run. Starting the half shooting 50% from the field and 33% from behind the arc, the opposition never had a chance to take the lead. Scott, Thomas and Randle continued to lead the Marauders in the second half on both ends of the floor. The Marauders’ defense caused the opponent to shoot under 50% from the field while creating 11 turnovers. The Marauders created 14 points off turnovers and led both teams in bench scoring with 23 points. As the opponent began to cut into the lead, the Marauders got busy in the paint, scoring 15 second-chance points and 36 total points. The Marauders’ lead was cut to one point with around eight minutes to go in the second half. The Marauders increased the lead to 5 and then closed the game in dramatic fashion.
With one minute left on the clock,
Khalil Luster threw a perfect lob pass to Randle, closing the house down with an electrifying finish above the rim, ending the game with a score of 78-74. The leading scorers for the Marauders were Brandon Scott with 19, Javante Randle with 18,
Steven Key with 13, and Khalil Luster with 9.
The Marauders next take the court Tuesday, Feb. 18, for Senior Night against Tuskegee University. Randle was named the Le Reve Massage & Facial Spa Player of the Game.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.