Box Score SAVANNAH, Ga.- Howard went the final 11 minutes without a field goal but held on to defeat Savannah State 50-48 in Tiger Arena, before a crowd of 1,820.
 
With 2:17 left, the game tied at 47 but a free throw by Howard's Damon Collins gave the Bison a one point lead at the 1:40 mark.
 
A pair of free throws by Brandon Ford stretched Howard's lead to 50-47 with 17 seconds remaining.
 
SSU's Javaris Jenkins missed a 3-pointer with nine seconds left but Jenkins hit a free throw with three seconds remaining.
 
Another 3-point try by Jenkins with two seconds left was no good and Howard hung on to claim the win.
 
Savannah State out-rebounded the Bison 37 to 20 but the Tigers only made 9 of 18 free throw attempts.
 
Both teams made 21 turnovers.
 
The Tigers led by seven at the half but Howard started the second period with a 10-3 run to tie the game at 33 with 15:42 left.
 
SSU answered with seven straight point for a 40-33 cushion but Howard rallied to tie the game at 41 apiece.
 
With the game tied at 43, both teams went cold from the field.
 
Hakeem Champaigne made a layup for the Tigers at the 8:58 mark to put SSU ahead 45-44. Savannah State didn't make another field goal until Demarcus Bryant's jumper with 2:17 left to tie the game at 47.
 
No Savannah State player scored in double figures.
 
Terel Hall led SSU (6-19, 2-9) with nine points but he also had six turnovers. Champaigne added eight points and five rebounds while Alante Feener chipped in seven points, five rebounds and four steals.
 
Savannah State led 11-10 in the first half but a pair of layup from Brian Pearson and another from Fenner gave the Tigers a 17-10 advantage with 10:46 left.
 
A 13-3 run by Howard gave the visitors a 23-20 edge with 3:44 on the clock but SSU closed out the half with a 10-0 run, thanks to a layup by Khalen Pinkett, a jumper from Jenkins, two free throws by Hall, a dunk by Jamal Norman and a layup by Pearson with three seconds left.
 
James Carlton led the Bison (14-13, 8-5) with 16 points and nine rebounds.
 
The game had eight ties and eight lead changes.
 
TIP INS
Savannah State, who is ranked sixth in the nation with 9.3 steals per game had 10 steals against the Bison.
Howard defeated Savannah State for the first time in the series.
 
UP NEXT
SSU will host Florida A&M on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m.
Howard will travel to South Carolina State on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.