Box Score SAVANNAH, Ga.- Terel Hall hit a free throw with 1.9 seconds left and Savannah State held on to defeat Winthrop 59-58 in Tiger Arena in a non-conference matchup.
 
It was the regular season home opener for the Tigers that drew a crowd of 3,010.
 
Under head coach Horace Broadnax, SSU is 10-0 in home openers.
 
A 3-pointer by Hall gave Savannah State (1-2) a 56-50 lead with 2:42 remaining in the game but the Eagles strung together eight consecutive points to grab a 58-56 advantage with 18 seconds left.
 
Winthrop had a chance to pad their lead but Andre Smith missed a pair of free throws, with seven seconds left.
 
SSU's Saadiq Muhammad got the rebound on Smith's second missed shot and the Tigers called timeout.
 
Hall drove to the paint for the game tying layup and in the process was fouled by Trevin Prescot.
 
Following Hall's free throw, Winthrop called a timeout but was unable to get up a shot when play resumed.
 
It was the first lost of the season for Winthrop, who defeated Clemson 77-74 on November 17.
 
Hall, a 6-1 senior, had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists for SSU.
 
Muhammad added 14 points and seven rebounds while Alante Fenner came off the bench to chip in 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
While Savannah State, who played without senior guard Kierre Richards who is out with a knee injury, shot 50 percent from the field, they continue to struggle from the free throw line as they went 5 for 12.
 
The contest was tight from start to finish, with no team leading by more than six points. The game featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
 
Winthrop scored the first six points of the contest but SSU strung together a 15-3 run to take a 15-9 lead at the 11:51 mark.
 
The Tigers maintained a lead until Winthrop's Josh Davenport tied the game at 24 with 4:05 left in the half.
 
A layup by Xavier Cooks and two free throws by Derrick Henry gave the Eagles a 28-24 advantage with 1:10 left.
 
Fenner's layup with 29 seconds remaining cut SSU's deficit to two and the Tigers went into intermission trailing 28-26.
 
Winthrop led by five with 12:10 left in the second half and held a 45-41 advantage with 9:52 on the clock.
 
Savannah State responded with six unanswered points gave the Tigers a 47-46 lead with 6:57 to play.
 
After a layup by Jamal Norman gave SSU a 49-47 lead but a 3-pointer by Winthrop's Keon Moore gave the visitors a 50-49 edge with 5:40 remaining.
 
SSU answered with a dunk by Muhammad to go ahead 51-50 with 5:11 on the clock to jump start a 7-0 run.
 
Winthrop was led by Moore who topped all scorers with 20 points.
 
The Eagles shot 37.7 percent from the field.
 
SSU edged Winthrop on the boards 33 to 32.