SAVANNAH, Ga. — After starting the new year with two losses by a combined three points,
Savannah State got back on track with a 64-60 overtime win over
Clark Atlanta on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Arena.
Michael Swift did not score in the first or second half but came up big in the extra period with a pair of big baskets.
With the score tied at 53, Swift hit a 3-pointer to give SSU a 56-53 advantage.
A 3-pointer by
Zyere Edwards snapped a 56-56 tie and when the Panthers got within 59-58, Swift nailed a jumper that extended the Savannah State lead to 61-58 with 29 seconds left.
Clark Atlanta was able to get within 61-60 with 19 seconds remaining but the Tigers finished the contest with a free throw by Swift and two more by
Javonte Landy.
The win gives Savannah State a 6-7 overall record but a 6-5 mark in conference play. CAU fell to 10-4 overall and 7-3 in the SIAC.
The game had eight ties and 13 lead changes.
SSU trailed 6-2 early in the game but responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Landy and
Brandon Johnson followed by a layup from
Jordan Mikel for a 10-6 lead.
The Panthers rallied to take a 17-12 lead but a layup and a free throw by Landy along with a 3-pointer by Mikel put SSU back in front 18-17 with 5:01 on the clock.
With the game knotted at 24, a tip-in by Mikel gave the Tigers a 26-24 advantage with 40 seconds remaining but CAU hit a 3-pointer to take a 27-26 lead into the half.
Clark Atlanta led for the majority of the second half and on several occasions SSU had to overcome deficits of at least four points.
The Tigers were down 50-46 with 4:28 showing on the clock. A 3-pointer by
Zion Davis drew SSU within 50-49 but Clark Atlanta responded with three free throws to extended their lead to 53-49 with 1:49 left.
A pair of free throws from
Ladarrius Chigano with 1:27remaining made the score 53-51 and two free throws by Davis with 46 seconds remaining tied the contest at 53.
CAU missed three opportunities to score in the final 19 seconds but two shots were missed and another was blocked by
James Leach.
Landy ended the game with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists while Mikel had 11 points and six rebounds.
Johnson tallied eight points, Swift and Edwards both finished with six, Davis and Chigano produced five points each, Leach had four points and three blocks and
Kelvin Cochran had two points.
Savannah State will travel to Benedict on January 14 for a 730 p.m. match-up.
STAY CONNECTED
For complete coverage of Savannah State University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @SavStateTigers on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Formerly Known As Twitter), or visit the official online home of SSU Athletics at
http://ssuathletics.com.
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 (HBCUs) 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.