NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Stillman College men's basketball team closed the 2024-2025 regular season with a 95-83 victory at Fisk University to finish atop the HBCU Athletic Conference standings. The Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the HBCUAC preseason coaches' poll with only one first-place vote, but finished with the best overall win percentage (.778) at 14-4. The Tigers win the HBCUAC Regular Season title in their first year in the conference after sweeping Tougaloo College and Dillard University, who both had four losses, when they played in December.
Rapid Recap:
Fisk controlled the game early and led by as much as eight points with 11:40 on the first half clock when Micheal Ashley hit a free throw to put the Bulldogs up 23-15. Stillman battled back to take a 38-37 lead after a free throw from
Jaylon Taylor, but Doyel Cockrill III hit a three-pointer with four seconds left to go up 40-38 at the half.
After a successful shot from Branden Lankford-Johnson to tie the game 40-40 with 19:41 on the clock,
Brandon Howard hit a three seconds later to give Stillman the final lead change of the night.
Stillman built a 15-point lead on multiple occasions during the period and the lead never went below eight points for the majority of the second half. The Tigers captured a 95-83 win to close the regular season with free throws from Lankford-Johnson to close the contest.
Notes and Numbers:
-
Jaylon Taylor led the Tigers with 20 points and six rebounds.
-
Brenden Lankford-Johnson went for 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
-
Michael Taylor posted 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.
-
Jeremiah Miller added 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
-
Calvin Finch Jr. amassed 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block.
-Tigers shot 61.7 percent (37-of-60) from the floor and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free throw line.
Up Next:
Stillman College awaits an official announcement of seeding for the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championships hosted in Birthright Alumni Hall from Feb. 25 to March 2, 2025. Stillman's first game in the tournament will be Friday, Feb. 28. Complete brackets can be found at HBCUAC.org/basketball.
This story was updated Feb. 21 at 1:20 p.m.
