BIRMINGHAM, AL – Junior forward James Barnes led the Fort Valley State University Wildcats basketball team to victory in the first round of the SIAC Basketball Tournament 79-73 over Kentucky State Monday afternoon at the Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
With the win FVSU improves to 11-17 overall, while Kentucky State ends their season with a 10-17 overall record. KSU won the only game played between the two teams during regular season.
 
Barnes scored 24 points for the Wildcats, while hitting 9-of-14 field goals, made 6-of-9 free throws, four rebounds, blocking one shot and six steals. Junior guard Jamaal Garror led the team with a game-high nine rebounds and three points. Senior point guard Jalen Crawford added 14 points, senior forward Denard Williams and sophomore point guard Tyler Edwards hit 11 points each. Williams grabbed six boards and drained 3-of-4 foul shots, while Edwards dished out a team-high three assists.
 
Dorian Jordan led KSU with a game-high 27 points and hit 12-of-15 free throws. Julius Barton scored 15 points and pulled in seven rebounds, while Deion Fields grabbed eight boards and scored six points.
 
The Wildcats took a commanding 39-29 lead to the locker room at halftime. The second half proved to be much different, KSU's Malcolm Smith hit a three for the first score coming back from halftime for a 39-32 score. Barnes tipped-back a basket at the 17:32 mark to increase the Wildcats lead to 12 (45-33). KSU went on a shooting spree and closed the gap to 1 (57-56) with 10:11 left. With 4:11 remaining, Williams made a dunk to put FVSU ahead 70-60. Then, with 23 seconds left Dorian Jordan's free throw cut the lead to 77-73 before Crawford's dunk with 19 seconds left put the game away 79-73.    
 
Junior point guard J. R. Bryant's 3-pointer set the tone in the first half of the 2017 SIAC Tournament. The Wildcats went on a 9-0 run during the first three minutes, before KSU scored two points to make score 9-2. Barnes jumper pushed the lead to 23-7 with 11:16 left. Barnes free throw with 4:36 left gave the Wildcats their largest lead of 20 (36-16). KSU scored the final two points before the half to cut the lead to 10 (39-29).
 
Barnes led the Wildcats with 12 points in the first half, while Williams grabbed five rebounds.
 
In the half, the Wildcats shot 43.8% from the floor, 33.3% from 3-point land and hit 64.3% at the free throw line. KSU made 25.7% of their shots, 9.1% in three pointers and 62.5% at the foul line.

For the game, the Wildcats hit 29-of-72 (40.3 percent) from the field, 2-of-10 (20.0 percent) from three point land and 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) from the free throw line. KSU out rebounded the Wildcats 55-37, but FVSU forced KSU to turn the ball over 26 times while scoring 19 points off turnovers. FVSU received 20 points from its bench and 48 points from in the paint.  
 
KSU made 36.8 percent (21-of-57) shots from the floor, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) foul shots and 65.9 percent (27-of-41) from the foul line. 
 
The Wildcats will play Claflin University in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 1 at 3:15 p.m.