SAVANNAH, Ga.-
Dexter McClanahan led six Savannah State players in double figures as the Tigers defeated South Carolina State 111-99.
The Tiger Arena crowd of 2,375 saw McClanahan finish the evening with 23 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Other SSU players in double figures were
Zach Sellers (18),
Austin Dasent (15),
Alante Fenner (14),
Ty'lik Evans (13) and
Jahir Cabeza (10).
It was the sixth consecutive time Savannah State has beaten South Carolina State. The last time the Tigers lost to SCSU was February 14, 2015.
The victory improves SSU to 11-13 overall and 8-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Tigers have now won seven in a row and eight of their last nine contests.
In a first period that featured five ties and eight lead changes, SSU began to get some separation the last three minutes as they finished the half with a 10-4 spurt and took a 49-42 edge into intermission.
Three minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs sliced their deficit to 55-52 but Savannah State responded when McClanahan and Evans keyed a 14-4 run to give the home team a 69-56 advantage with just over 15 minutes remaining. During the run, McClanahan hit five free throws and a 3-pointer while Evans chipped in three free throws and a 3-pointer.
A 3-pointer by Justin Jones drew SCSU within five at the 12:06 mark but a 16-6 rally by the Tigers increased their margin to 87-72 with 9:01 on the clock.
A 3-pointer by Evans with 6:01 remaining gave Savannah State their largest lead of the contest at 96-79.
Ahead 99-88, a layup by Sellers with 3:31 left put Savannah State ahead 101-88 and marked the fifth time SSU has scored at least 100 points in a game. It was also the seventh time this season the team has hit triple digits, matching the 1971-72 Tiger squad that did the same.
Savannah State finished the game shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.
South Carolina State (8-15, 4-5 MEAC) out-rebounded the Tigers 44 to 40 while shooting 50 percent from the field. The Bulldogs made 31.6 percent of their 3-point shots and 71.4 percent of their free throw attempts.
Patrell Rogers had 26 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs while Damani Applewhite added 24 points and seven rebounds.
