ORANGEBURG, S.C.- Savannah State held South Carolina State without a field goal the final five minutes of the game as the Tigers defeated SCSU 60-57 in the S-H-M Memorial Center.
The Bulldogs final field goal came with 5:03 remaining as Greg Mortimer's layup gave SC State a 54-53 edge.
A free throw by Chris Martin gave SSU (10-13, 6-6 MEAC) a 58-56 lead with 2:47 remaining.
Gabriel McCray hit a free for the Bulldogs with 2:26 left to cut SSU's lead to 58-57.
Savannah State sealed their win with four seconds left in the game after
Khalen Pinkett made two free throws.
The game, which drew 469 fans, had nine ties and 16 lead changes.
The Tigers scored the first five points of the contest but SC State used a 7-0 run to grab a 19-16 advantage with 8:37 left in the first period.
Down by one with 4:21 remaining, SSU put together a 8-2 spurt to go ahead 32-26 with 1:19 on the clock.
SCSU scored the final six points of the period to send both squads into the half knotted at 32.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 11-7 spurt to build a 43-39 lead but a jumper by Martin and a layup by
Troyce Manassa tied the game at 43 with 12:16 remaining.
From that point on, no team led by more than three points.
SSU made 7 of 9 free throw attempts while the Bulldogs (14-12, 9-3 MEAC) were 17 of 21.
South Carolina State edged the Tigers in rebounds 34 to 33.
SSU only made six turnovers while the Bulldogs made eight.
Eric Eaves had a game-high 16 points for SC State.
Tip ins:
SSU won their first road game of the season....the game was a homecoming for freshman
Isaiah Felder who is from Orangeburg.....Jenkins' 15 points was a season-high
SCSU lost their first home game of the season.....Before the game, the Bulldogs were on a four-game winning streak.....Eaves has led the team in scoring eight times in the past 11 games.
Up next:
SSU will play at Howard on Feb. 20
SCSU will play at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Feb. 20
