Box Score WASHINGTON, D.C.- Savannah State went the final four minutes without a field goal but made four of six free throws down the stretch as the Tigers defeated Howard 56-54 in Burr Gymnasium before a crowd of 2,750.
 
The contest, which featured 10 ties and eight lead changes, was knotted at 53 with 2:27 remaining, after a layup by Howards James Daniel.
 
SSU went ahead 55-53 after a pair of free throws by Joshua Montgomery but a free throw at the 1:35 mark by Daniel cut the Tigers lead to 55-54.
 
Alante Fenner made a free throw for Savannah State (4-12) with 15 seconds left to put SSU ahead 56-54.
 
Howard missed a jumper with seven seconds left and got the offensive rebound but SSU sealed the win when freshman forward Saadiq Muhammad stole the ball.
 
After suffering through a 10-game losing streak, the Tigers have won three in a row and improved to 3-0 in the MEAC.
 
The Tigers got strong support from their reserves with Fenner scoring 13 points and Montgomery adding 12 and five rebounds.
 
A layup and a free throw by Montgomery gave SSU a 12-11 lead with 12:23 left in the first period but the Bison held Savannah State scoreless for seven minutes as the rallied back with ten unanswered points to take a 21-12 lead with 5:23 on the clock.
 
Not to be outdone, SSU closed the half with a 10-0 run and went into the break with a slim 22-21 lead.
 
SSU started the second half with a pair of free throws from Jeremiah Hill followed by layups from Khiry White and Montgomery to push their lead to 28-23 with 18:34 remaining.
 
With the game tied at 36 with 13:38 left, a 3-pointer band two free throws by Keierre Richards gave the Tigers a 41-36 edge.
 
Howard managed to take a 45-42 lead with 8:47 left but a free throw by White, a 3-pointer by Fenner and a tip-in by Montgomery gave SSU a 48-45 advantage.
 
The game was tied at 49 but Fenner drilled a 3-pointer at the four minute mark for SSU's last field goal of the evening.
 
SSU shot 47.4 percent from the floor in the second half and finished the game making 22 of 30 free throw attempts.
Howard (3-15) out-rebounded the Tigers 30 to 24 but also made 20 turnovers.
 
Daniel led the Bison with a game-high 17 points.