LAKELAND, Fla. - Stillman College men's basketball dropped its season opener Thursday afternoon on a tough day for the Southern States Athletic Conference in the SSAC / Sun Conference Challenge at Southeastern University. The Tigers fell 80-64 to Warner University, one of seven losses for SSAC teams to Sun teams.
Bailey Talley powered Stillman with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. A Talley layup four minutes into the second half cut Stillman's deficit to a point, 35-34, after trailing by as many as seven in the first half. Warner responded with an 8-0 run though, and the Tigers got no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Tyler Martin was second in scoring for the Tigers with 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench. He shot 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Khalil Johnson scored nine points, hitting 3-of-11 3-pointers, while
Antonio Jones scored eight in 21 minutes during his Stillman debut before exiting the game early in the second half.
Logan West and Blaize Darling Jr scored 24 and 21 points, respectively, to lead Warner.
Stillman (0-1) will meet Ave Maria University on Friday at 11 a.m. CT.
