Dawgs Hold Off Oakwood with Late Rally

NASHVILLE – On a night when Jayden Lockett scored his 1,000^th career collegiate point, the Fisk University Bulldogs (6-9, 3-3 GCAC) had to dig deep late to outlast the Oakwood University Ambassadors (1-13, 1-4 GCAC) in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play from Nashville.

"It is never easy playing in this conference," said Fisk Head Coach Kenny Anderson. "No matter the record, we have to come out and play. We had them on the ropes early, but Oakwood played well. Their defense gave us problems in the second half. They will beat some teams playing like they play."

The Dawgs were led in scoring by Tyon Thompson with 20 points. For the second game in a row, Allen Powell was able to eclipse his season-high, this time with 18 points off of the bench. Lockett added 10 and tied Michael Ashley with a team-high eight rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

FIRST HALF | Fisk 33-32 Dawgs Start Fast and Hold on to Slim Halftime Lead

Lockett came into the game needing three points to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in his career. After Thompson started the scoring with a three-point basket, Lockett scored the next four Fisk points to get his milestone point after a steal by Thompson on an assist from Rodney Wiley. The fast start propelled the Dawgs to an 11-2 lead.

A Powell basket with 11:20 to go in the half gave Fisk their biggest lead at 22-10. Oakwood went on a 12-1 run to finish the half to cut the lead to one.

SECOND HALF | Fisk 34-31 Late Heroics by Powell Gives Dawgs the Victory

The second half was an instant classic, with each team only able to take no more than a five-point lead. Oakwood changing to an amoeba defense, kept them in the game as Fisk seemed to not figure out how to attack it. The Ambassadors took their first lead of the game at the 6:25 mark on a three-point basket by Amyr Dickerson.

After Fisk's Carrington Allen tied the game at 58 on a driving layup, Oakwood went on a 5-0 run, and it looked like they were in control at the 1:47 mark. Fisk then went to work, closing the game on a 9-0 run. Thompson scored a basket to trim the lead to three. Then with 30 seconds left, Ashley got a tough follow-up and one to tie the score at 63. With 18 seconds remaining, Powell picked the pocket of Dickerson and converted a layup. He then stole the ball from Nicholas Kennard, was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the win.

NEXT UP:

The Dawgs will take on Dillard and SUNO to close out their homestand on Friday and Saturday.