The Tiffin University men's basketball team opened the 2015-16 season with a come from behind overtime victory against the Alderson-Broaddus University Battlers.
The Battlers, picked to win the Great Midwest Athletic Conference this season, trailed for a short time early in the 1st half, but led the vast majority. The Dragons kept it close, but allowed a late 11-4 run to give the Battlers a 38-31 lead at the half. At the intermission, the Dragons were led in scoring by Khaleal McCormick and Tony Kynard with seven points each. Tiffin shot 46% from the floor, but struggled from beyond the arc, going 2 for 7 from three point range.
Alderson-Broaddus extended their lead to eight before bolting ahead to a 19 point lead courtesy of a 17-6 run to lead 62-43. After a timeout, the Dragons got off the canvas and began to chip away at the Battler lead. TU outscored the Battlers 33-14 throughout the remainder of the 2nd half, tying the score with a Khaleal McCormick three point basket with seven seconds left to force overtime.
The Dragon defense ramped up the pressure on ABU, forcing eight Battler turnovers in the 2nd half, while improving their three point shooting by nine percentage points.
In the overtime, TU fell behind 78-76 just 27 seconds into the period, but never trailed the remainder of the overtime, outscoring the Battlers 12-8 to pick the season opening victory 88-84.
Tiffin was led by Khaleal McCormick with a double-double, 23 points and 10 boards. Tony Kynard, in his first game as a Dragon, scored 20 points off the bench, including 7-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Juwan Johnson added 12 points, Chrisean Marsden added 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Andy Bachman chipped in with 9 points off the bench. TU led in bench points, with 41% of their 88 points coming from reserve players, outscoring Alderson-Broaddus 36-23.
The win moves the Dragons to 1-0. They will be back in action tomorrow, as they continue play in the G-MAC vs. GLIAC Challenge Tournament against G-MAC foe Kentucky Wesleyan College at 2:00 p.m..
