ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Benedict College women's and men's basketball teams will open SIAC Tournament play on Thursday.

The Lady Tigers will begin defense of their 2020 Championship with a 2:15 p.m. contest against Miles College. In their only regular-season meeting, Benedict took a close 74-72 victory over the Lady Golden Bears on Dec. 11 in Fairfield, Ala. Ay'Anna Bey led the Lady Tigers with a season-high 30 points in that contest. Miles is led by Imani Williams, who was named the SIAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 6.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks. Nadia Cathey led Miles with 17 points in that December game against the Lady Tigers.

Miles advanced to the quarterfinals with an easy 67-46 victory over Spring Hill College on Tuesday night. Camryn London led Miles with 15 points in that contest.

The winner of Thursday's game will advance to the semifinals to face Tuskegee, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, which rolled past Kentucky State in a Wednesday quarterfinal.

Following the Benedict women's game, the men will take on LeMoyne-Owen in a quarterfinal matchup, scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m.

Benedict defeated LeMoyne-Owen, the third seed from the West Division, 69-62, in their only regular-season contest on Dec. 13 in Memphis, Tenn.

Tyrese Mapp led the Tigers in that contest with a season-high 22 points. Malachi McCoy had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Tariq Shepherd led the Magicians with 18 points in that game. Jaquan Lawrence, named to the SIAC All-Conference Second Team, added 13 points and eight rebounds. Tajh Green, named the SIAC Player of the Year, scored 11 points to go along with five rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Timothy Bing Jr., named to the SIAC All-Conference First Team, had seven points and four steals against the Magicians.

The winner of that contest will advance to take on Miles College, the top seed from the SIAC West Division. Miles defeated Fort Valley State 65-53 in overtime on Wednesday. That semifinal contest is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. on Friday.

The tournament championship games are set for Saturday, with the women's final starting at 5 p.m., and the men's title contest at 8 p.m.

All games are being held at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center, 326 Technology Center Way in Rock Hill. Tickets are $10 per day and $20 on Saturday for the championships. Children 18 and under, as well as current students at SIAC member schools with ID, are admitted free.

The games are streamed live on ESPN+, which requires a paid subscription.

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