Box Score NORFOLK, Va.- Leading by five with 7:10 left in the contest, Savannah State went on a 10-0 run to break open a close game in a 61-47 win over South Carolina State in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament played at The Scope Arena.
 
The run gave the Tigers (13-18) a 50-35 advantage with 2:56 remaining.
 
A trio of free throws by Jalen White closed the Bulldogs gap to 12 with 2:47 left but SSU answered with a layup from Alante Fenner and a pair of free throws by Jeremiah Hill to grab their biggest lead of the game at 54-38.
 
SCSU got as close as 57-47 with 21 seconds left after a layup by White.
 
The Tigers ended the scoring with dunks by Joshua Montgomery and Terel Hall to get the 14-point victory.
 
After shooting 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, Savannah State made 50 percent of their shots after halftime and finished the game shooting 41.3 percent.
 
The Tigers won the rebounding battle 45 to 36.
 
Fenner led SSU with 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Hall added 14 points and four assists. Hill chipped in 10 points while Jyles Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and had eight points and three blocks before fouling out.
 
The underdog Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the contest but a 10-2 run by SSU gave the Tigers a10-9 lead with 12:41 on the clock.
 
Savannah State led 22-15 with 7:20 remaining before SCSU tied the game at 22.
 
Trailing 24-22 with 2:39 left, the Tigers finished the opening period with a layup from Hall, a dunk by Saadiq Muhammad and a layup by Smith to take a 28-24 lead into the half.
 
SCSU got within two early in the second half before a 7-0 mini run gave the Tigers a nine point edge with 16:02 on the clock.
 
White had a game-high 19 points for South Carolina State (9-21) while Matthew Hezekiah grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
SSU will play Norfolk State on March 14.