COLUMBIA, S.C. --- Led by first-year head coach Shawn Walker, Allen men's basketball earned their first ranked victory of the NCAA era Saturday, taking down Benedict, 72-62. 

The Yellow Jackets jumped on the Tigers early, taking a 15-4 advantage midway through the first half. Over the next 11 minutes, Allen sustained a balanced offensive attack with seven different players scoring, including a trio of layups from Tavis Bridges and three-pointers from Marc Raye Jr., Malik Lacewell, and Mohamed Alkadi. Allen led at the half, 37-24, having never trailed through the first 20 minutes of action. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets held Benedict to shoot just 8% from three-point range in the first half, going 1-12 from the floor. In the second half, Benedict would battle-back and take the lead, 43-41 with 12:15 to go. However, it would be their only lead of the night and one that lasted only 65 seconds as Allen surged back ahead on a pair of free-throws from Tyriq McAdoo and G'Shan Aldridge. After Benedict was back within two, 50-48, Allen finished the final nine minutes of the game by outscoring the Tigers by eight to secure the victory.

Aldridge finished as Allen's leading scorer with 15 points, an effort that saw the point guard make seven of 10 free-throw attempts. McAdoo added 11 points to pair with six rebounds. A monumental moment in Saturday's history setting victory was Malik Lacewell surpassing 1,000 career points following a nine-point performance Saturday. The first year Yellow Jackets has scored 221 points this season for Allen, 8.8 points per game. The Yellow Jackets continue to rewrite history with their 14th win of the season - the most for Allen since joining NCAA Division II in 2021, and the most in a single-season dating back to the 2019-2020 season (18).

Allen visits Miles College Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.