SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State University tight end Paris Baker made two catches for a game-high 52 yards and a touchdown Saturday but the Tigers lost, 28-12, to North Carolina A&T in SSU's final home game as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

A Senior Day crowd of 4,788 at T.A Wright Stadium watched as SSU (2-7, 1-5 MEAC) trailed, 21-0, until Baker caught quarterback D'Vonn Gibbons' pass for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:16 left in the third quarter. Chandler Williams attempted the extra point but his kick was blocked by N.C. A&T (8-2, 5-1).

SSU, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, is moving down to NCAA Division II in 2019. The Tigers will compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"It's bittersweet," said Baker, a 6-foot-2, 257-pound graduate of Savannah's Jenkins High School. "I've been here for four years. I'm from Savannah. I really just wanted to (attend SSU and) prove a point that you don't have to leave home to play hard and be seen. We can compete. No doubt. We've got good coaches who coach us up to play real good but penalties cost. Really, Savannah State beat Savannah State."

Penalties proved costly for SSU, which committed 12 for 118 yards. N.C. A&T had nine penalties for 117 yards.

"It's frustrating," SSU third-year coach Erik Raeburn said. "I don't know how many penalties we had but it felt like about 50. It's frustrating for sure. We're just not getting good enough play on offense or special teams. Defensively, we're shooting ourselves in the foot at least one or two drives a game. They have no margin for error so it's frustrating."

N.C. A&T took a 7-0 lead with 4:11 remaining in the first quarter when running back Jah-Maine Martin ran for an 11-yard touchdown. Noel Ruiz kicked his first of four extra points. The nine-play, 88-yard scoring drive was extended by two SSU penalties. On third-and-2 from N.C. A&T's 20-yard line, Aggies backup quarterback Kylil Carter threw an incomplete pass but SSU was penalized 15 yards for roughing the passer. Four plays later, SSU senior cornerback Darrell "Vanquez" Bonner was penalized 15 yards for a personal foul and ejected from the game.

"Two 15-yard penalties and had a player ejected," Raeburn said. "They're playing with their backup quarterback and you can't help them out. Make them drive the freaking field."

N.C. A&T made it 14-0 with 10:38 left in the second quarter when Aggies running back Marquell Cartwright ran for a 14-yard touchdown. The nine-play, 85-yard scoring drive was sparked by Carter's 41-yard run to SSU's 24-yard line.

The Aggies went up 21-0 with 39 seconds left before halftime when Carter connected with wide receiver Zachary Leslie for a 10-yard touchdown.

SSU cut it to 21-6 with 10:16 left in the third quarter thanks to D'Vonn Gibbons' 10-yard touchdown pass Baker.

"We kept battling, despite being down by 21, but we shoot ourselves in the foot too much," Raeburn said. "We're just not good enough to overcome the constant penalties and the mental mistakes we're making."

SSU cut it to 21-12 with 6:14 left in the fourth quarter when Gibbons found SSU senior tight end Steven "Tyler" Hagan, a South Effingham High School graduate, in the back of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. Gibbons' pass for a two-point conversion failed.

The scoring drive began with Gibbons' 42-yard pass to Baker to N.C. A&T's 27-yard line. Two plays later, Gibbons connected with wide receiver Czar Beneby for a 25-yard gain. But SSU right tackle Michael Johnson was penalized 10 yards for holding. On the next play, Johnson was penalized 5 yards for a false start. On second-and-23 from N.C. A&T's 40-yard line, SSU's Gibbons ran for a 6-yard gain but the Aggies' Deion Jones was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for a hit out of bounds. Two plays later, Aggies cornerback Armir McNeil was penalized 15 yards for pass interference in the end zone while defending SSU's Beneby, giving the Tigers first-and-goal at N.C. A&T's 4-yard line.

N.C. A&T made it 28-12 when Carter ran up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown with 5:21 left in the game. The scoring drive was set up by William Hollingsworth's 42-yard kickoff return to SSU's 33-yard line.

N.C. A&T's Carter, a 5-foot-10, 230-pound senior from South Cobb High School in Austell, Ga., finished 10-of-19 passing for 53 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He ran 14 times for 93 yards and a touchdown. Cartwright ran 11 times for a game-high 117 yards and a touchdown.

SSU's Gibbons, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophomore from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., finished 11-of-24 passing for 145 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. SSU senior Rashad Saxton ran 16 times for a team-high 54 yards. The Tigers ran 42 times for 101 yards without a touchdown compared to the Aggies' 39 carries for 274 yards and three touchdowns.

SSU freshman linebacker Walter Yates made a game-high 11 tackles. He had a career-high 13 tackles in the Tigers' game at Delaware State last Saturday, and he registered 10 tackles against Norfolk State on Oct. 27. SSU linebacker Desmond Young finished with nine tackles against N.C. A&T to go with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

SSU will play its season finale at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 17 against South Carolina State in Orangeburg, S.C. The Bulldogs played Florida A&M on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.