SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State played their last regular season home game of the season in Tiger Arena against Howard and fell to the Bison 81-76. Zaquavian Smith scored a career-high 21 points for the Tigers before a crowd of 2,000 fans.

Before the game, Smith and fellow seniors John Grant and Jahlin Smith were honored for their commitment to the program. Grant finished the game with three points while Jahlin Smith contributed five.


The loss drops SSU to 10-18 overall and 7-8 in conference play.

The score was tied at 6-6 but the visitors from Washington, D.C. used a 9-2 run to jump out to a 15-8 lead. Howard's first 15 points came via 3-pointers.


Savannah State answered with a 10-2 spurt that put them ahead 18-17 but a 12-5 run by the Bison put them back in front 29-23 at the 7:48 mark.

Ahead by five with six and a half minutes to go, Howard went on a 10-2 run to expand their lead to 39-26.

Down by 13 with 2:25 left, SSU finished the period with a free throw from Jaquan Dotson and layups by Tyrell Harper and Adam Saeed to close their halftime gap to 42-34.

During intermission, Savannah State honored their six senior cheerleaders: Kristen David, Raven Hopkins, Sa'Vanna Jackson, Jasha Morris, Mallori Santiful and Courtney Smith.

The Tigers opened the second period with a 12-3 run to go ahead 46-45  but Howard responded by putting together a 25-9 spurt that gave them a 70-55 edge with 4:20 remaining.


Howard's last field goal of the contest came with 3:15 left after a 3-pointer by Chad Lott. The rest of the game the Bison made nine of 13 free throw attempts.

A 3-pointer by Dotson got Savannah State within 80-76 with 11 seconds left but the Tigers could get no closer.

Dotson had 17 points, 15 rebounds and four assists for SSU while Zach Sellers and Romani Hansen added 11 points each.

The Tigers shot 41.3 percent from the field, made 31 percent of their 3-point attempts and shot 68.8 percent from the charity stripe.

Howard's RJ Cole led all scorers with 23 points.

The Bison (14-15, 8-6 MEAC) out-rebounded SSU 39 to 57 while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor, 48.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent from the free throw line.

TIP INS:
  
*  Zach Sellers extended his streak of scoring at least two points in a game to 60 games

* Zaquavian Smith is averaging 18.5 points in his past two games

 

* SSU's Andrew Okorodudu and Howard's Princewell Anosike are both from Lagos, Nigeria



* Collins Joseph averages 8.1 points a game but is 0 for 7 from the field in his past two games



* Jaquan Dotson had his fourth double-double of the season