MEMPHIS, Tenn. –Savannah State men's basketball couldn't stave off a strong second half from LeMoyne-Owen on Saturday as the Tigers fell 73-82 in their third Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) game of the season.

Four Tigers hit double-figures in the close game. SSU's leading scorer Adrian Bonds led the field with 24 points on the night. Amaru Bryant tacked on 13 while newcomer Justice Stanley put away 12 and Marcus Scott recorded 10.

After trailing early on, Savannah State took the lead on a good layup from Stanley to open a significant run. Bryant drained a trey with 3:22 to play, lifting SSU to their largest lead of the game at 37-30.

The Magicians answered the offensive push from SSU in the final minutes of the opening half. Julion Richardson hit a 3-pointer with 1:27 to play to cut SSU's lead to 39-38. Richardson hit another long ball seconds later to give his team a 2-point lead.

Bonds sank a jumper with 43 seconds to play to tie the game at 41, which held into the locker room. SSU shot 48.4% from the field in the first half and 38.5% from beyond the arc.
LeMoyne-Owens outscored SSU 41-32 in the second half, going up by as much as 18 points. In the final two-minutes, Bonds opened a 9-0 run for the Tigers with a good jump shot, but time expired before they could get within striking distance of the Magicians' lead.

Savannah State men's and women's basketball play SIAC foe Miles College on Dec. 16 in Fairfield, Alabama. They both return home for two games before the Christmas break. Savannah State hosts Spring Hill College on Dec. 19 in Tiger Arena. Tip-off for the doubleheader is set for 5:30 p.m. They close out the month on Dec. 21 against Tuskegee University in Tiger Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.