BALTIMORE, Md.- Savannah State snapped a six game losing skid with a 80-71 road win over Coppin State, in a game played at PEC Arena.
The victory gives the Tigers a 1-0 record in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play and improves their overall record to 4-12.
The game, the sixth of a seven game road swing for SSU, was also a homecoming for Baltimore natives John and
Juwan Grant. John saw five minutes of playing time for the Tigers while Juwan did not see any action.
A 3-pointer by Lucian Brownlee gave Coppin State a 69-68 lead with 3:47 remaining but the Tigers finished the contest with a 12-2 run to earn the nine-point win.
During Savannah State's final run,
Dexter McClanahan and
Austin Dasent both made a 3-pointer and a free throw while Alantae Fenner made a layup and
Javaris Jenkins added a pair of free throws.
Jenkins led SSU with 19 points while McClanahan added 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Dasent chipped in 14 points,
Ty'lik Evans scored 10 and
Zach Sellers dished out six assists.
Savannah State jumped out to a 10-3 lead as Dasent and Jenkins both buried 3-pointers.
A 3-pointer by Brownlee gave the Eagles a 37-35 lead with 1:12 left but two free throws by Evans with 54 seconds remaining tied the score at 37 and a 3-pointer by McClanahan with six seconds left gave the Tigers a 40-37 lead which they took into intermission.
The first period featured four ties and 11 lead changes.
Savannah State expanded their lead to 45-38 early in the second half but CSU used a 14-6 spurt to go ahead 52-51 with 13:20 on the clock.
The Tigers led 51-46 with 14:29 left but a 14-2 run by Coppin State put the Eagles ahead 60-53 with just under ten minutes showing. SSU answered with a 8-1 spurt to tie the contest at 61 with 7:09 remaining.
A pair of free throws by Evans put SSU ahead 68-63 with 5:29 left before the Eagles rallied to take a 69-68 lead.
Savannah State ended the game shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from beyond the arc and 70.4 percent from the free throw line. The Tigers also won the rebounding battle, 36 to 33.
Lamar Morgan led Coppin State with a game-high 26 points.
The Eagles, who fell to 0-17, shot 38.6 percent from the field, made 41.9 percent of their 3-point shots and 77.8 percent of their free throw attempts.
