OWENSBORO, Ky. - Tiffin men's basketball could not hold down the Auburn Montgomery offense on Friday evening, falling to the Warhawks 99-85 in the first game of the KWC Thanksgiving Classic.
Auburn Montgomery nearly tallied 50 points in each half, leading 50-38 at the break before adding 49 more points in the second period. The Dragons fared much better offensively in the second half than the first, scoring 47 in the final 20 minutes.
The Warhawks shot a blistering 61.5% (40-65) in the game, including 43.8% from beyond the arc. Tiffin was able to force three more turnovers than they committed (20-17) though, and the Dragons also had the advantage in bench scoring at 31 to 20.
Jairus Stevens led Tiffin with 17 points, followed by Wesley Jordan with 16 points and six rebounds. Thomas Hickman also added 13 points, while Trent Williams chipped in 10 off the bench.
The Dragons got off to a good start early, taking an 8-4 lead on a Joshua Williams jumper at the 17:09 mark of the opening half. The Warhawks responded with an 11-0 run, however, to take a ten point lead about five minutes later.
Auburn Montgomery was able to extend their lead to as much as 20 during the first half, but Tiffin made a run at the end and a Hickman layup with 21 seconds left cut the deficit to 12, 50-38, at the break.
The Warhawks responded with a run to open the second half that gave them a 24 point lead midway through the period.
The Dragons outscored the Warhawks 9-4 over the last two minutes, but it would be too little, too late as Auburn Montgomery kept the lead in double digits throughout the second half and won 99-85.
With their four-game win streak snapped, Tiffin falls to 4-3 on the year. The Dragons look to bounce back tomorrow in game two at the KWC Thanksgiving Classic, taking on Wheeling at 1:00 p.m. ET.