ATLANTA —
Savannah State claims its second SIAC men's basketball championship since 2022, following a 67-66 win over
Tuskegee on Saturday afternoon inside Forbes Arena on the campus of Morehouse.
With the game knotted at 66,
Javonte Landy hit the game-winning free throw with two seconds left.
After a Tuskegee timeout, the Golden Tigers attempted a court-length pass, but it was tipped and picked off by an SSU player as Savannah State secured the win.
Landy led the Tigers with 23 points, making 4-of-6 of his shots from beyond the arc as well as 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
With just under five minutes remaining in the game, SSU trailed by eight but strung together a 14-3 run that gave them a 66-63 lead with 16 seconds left.
Landy fueled the run with a layup, two jumpers, two free throws, and a 3-pointer, but it was a 3-pointer by
Ayjay Plaint that put SSU ahead by three with 16 seconds remaining.
After a timeout, Tuskegee tied the game at 66 with a 3-pointer, forcing SSU to call a timeout.
Landy was fouled and missed the first of his two free throw attempts before hitting the second one.
Savannah State opened with five straight points on two free throws by
Qua King and a Landy 3-pointer. The Tigers then used a 7-0 run to take a 10-point lead with 12:56 left in the first half.
Tuskegee was able to tie the game at 25 and take a 27-25 lead with just over three minutes left.
A 3-pointer by Landy put the Tigers in front 28-27 but Tuskegee took a 32-28 lead into the half and scored the first two baskets of the second half to increase their lead to 36-28.
With the Golden Tigers ahead 46-39, SSU scored the next eight points to get in front 47-46 with 9:22 left.
The teams traded baskets and Tuskegee went back up by eight before Savannah State put together its late run.
In the tournament, Savannah State faced teams that beat them during the regular season.
Spring Hill beat SSU by 16 on Dec. 19, Miles beat the Tigers by 13 on Dec. 7, Central State edged SSU by two on Dec. 2 and Tuskegee used a late run to down Savannah State by 13 on January 4.
But in the tournament, SSU found another gear and turned the tables on the opposition, beating Spring Hill 79-74, Miles 63-61, Central State 53-48 and Tuskegee 67-66.
The Tigers shot 52.2% from the field in the second half, in the championship game.
King, who had 19 points and eight rebounds, was named SIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player
Landy and Plain, who ended the game with 16 points, were both named to the all-tournament team.
Jaydon Cousin added five points and
Jeremiah Barze chipped in four points for the Tigers.
Savannah State ends the tournament riding a eight game winning streak, improving to 18-11, the most wins since the 2012-13 season when they had 19 victories.
Plain and
Austin Lewis will leave SSU with two conference tournament rings from 2022 and 2025.
The Tigers have also won SIAC titles in 1970, 1979, 1980, and 1981.
Savannah State will turn its attention to the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament. The selection show will air Sunday evening at 11 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
STAY CONNECTED
For complete coverage of Savannah State University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @SavStateTigers on Facebook, Instagram and X, or visit the official online home of SSU Athletics at
ssuathletics.com.
Gallery: (3-8-2025) 2025 SIAC Basketball Tournament – Champs
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for
SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.