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Savannah State University Athletics

1
Stephen Morton
62
LeMoyne-Owen LOC 9-4,5-3 SIAC
65
Winner Savannah St. SSU 6-4,4-2 SIAC
LeMoyne-Owen LOC
9-4,5-3 SIAC
62
Final
65
Savannah St. SSU
6-4,4-2 SIAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
LeMoyne-Owen LOC 28 34 62
Savannah St. SSU 39 26 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Tigers Slip Past Tricky Magicians

SAVANNAH, Ga.– In a cross-divisional Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) matchup with LeMoyne-Owen, Savannah State was technically underdogs on Monday night.
 
But that didn't matter in the end. In the end, it came down to the last minute and thirty seconds.
 
With six minutes to play, LeMoyne-Owen erased Savannah State's double-digit lead over the span of five short minutes behind a 17-0 run and five big blocks from Kaeden Lawary.
 
The Magicians' Brandon Mason hit a free-throw to tie the game up at 61 with 1:30 to play.
 
On the next possession, Savannah State's AyJay Plain drove the lane, went up for two and missed, but was fouled. The whistle blew the clock dead at 57.6 seconds. Plain sank both free-throws to put the Tigers up 63-61.
 
LeMoyne-Owen brought the ball up court, down by two, with the clock ticking fast. Lawary drove to the hoop and took the foul. He missed the first free-throw but made the second to make it a one-point game with 41 seconds to play.
 
When you need a clutch play, you go to the clutch player.
 
For Savannah State, that's #30 Eleik Bowles. Savannah State needed one more good basket to seal up the win.
 
Bowles got the ball with seconds ticking away. He drove the lane, reached around the defender midair to sink a good layup and lift the Tigers to a 65-62 lead with 14.6 seconds to play.
 
On the other end, LeMoyne-Owen missed a three-point try and Savannah State rebounded to win the game, escaping a solid effort from LeMoyne-Owen in the second half.
 
After the first half, the game didn't seem like it would come down to the final seconds. The Tigers took a double-digit lead in the first 20 with a huge 15-5 run midway through.
 
Into the locker room, Savannah State was sitting pretty with a 39-28 lead. They shot 48% from the floor and hit 8-of-10 free-throw shots, while LeMoyne-Owen struggled, shooting a dismal 24%.
 
But the Magicians—who entered the game 10-4 overall—shot a lot better in the second half while the Tigers struggled. Overall, Savannah State managed a 43.9% clip from the floor. The Magicians shot a 27.3 field goal percentage in the game.  
 
Savannah State improved to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the SIAC with the win. They are in second place in the SIAC East Division, trailing 5-1 Fort Valley State.
 
Za'Khari Cobb led Savannah State with 13 points on the night. Andrew Okorodudu had a stellar night in the post, putting up 10 points and grabbing 9 boards. Plain sank seven points while Bowles tacked on eight in the win.
 
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday with another SIAC, cross-divisional, doubleheader. They host Lane College in Tiger Arena beginning at 5:30 p.m.
 
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