Montrelle Taylor's steal in the final seconds preserved the three-point win for the Tornadoes, who now stand at 1-7.

Kerry Harvis led Talladega with 21 points, four steals and three rebounds. Christopher Tanzy added 16 points, and Ivan Sostanic put up 10 points and had seven rebounds.

Despite being 30 minutes late, Oakwood got off to a quick start. Austin Doggette's 3-pointer in the opening minutes put the Ambassadors up 9-2.

Oakwood pushed its lead to 11-2 before TC responded with a bucket from Harvis and back-to-back 3-pointers from Tanzy.

Sostaric's basket at the 11-minute mark tied the game at 19-19, and Harvis' 3-pointer gave the Tornadoes a one-point lead moments later.

TC held a six-point lead in the closing minutes of the half, but the Ambassadors chipped away and tied the game. At the half, the teams were even at 34-34.

Tarium Taylor and the Tornadoes opened the second half with an 8-2 run to take a 42-36 lead.

Christopher Hyche's basket allowed TC to push its lead to 14 points midway through the second half. But that lead dwindled down as the Ambassadors pulled back into the game in the closing minutes.

Ronnie Clark's steal and layup brought the Ambassadors within three points with less than two minutes to play at 63-60.

Montrelle Taylor gave Talladega its five-point lead back, but Lenard Bryant scored to cut it to three points again moments later.

Down 65-62, Oakwood had a shot at a 3-pointer but the ball rimmed out. Talladega gained possession off the rebound, and Tarium Taylor was fouled. He made one free throw to make it a two-possession game.

Bryant's put-back cut the TC lead to 66-64 with nine seconds to play.

Montrelle Taylor's free throw gave TC a three-point edge, and his steal prevented a game-tying attempt from Oakwood.

The Ambassadors were led by Dougette and Bryant, who both had 16 points. Marcus Fitts added 12 points and Wilbur Ampey had 10.

Oakwood shot 48 percent from the field, compared to 43.8 from TC.

Talladega will play Belhaven University in the Tougaloo  Classic at Jackson, MS on Friday November 3 at 4:00 pm.