GAME CENTRAL
Game 1
No. 7 Savannah State University Lady Tigers (10-3, 6-2 SIAC)
Vs.
Albany State University Golden Rams (3-7, 3-4 SIAC)
TIME: 5:30 p.m., Jan. 9, 2023
LOCATION: Savannah, Ga. | Tiger Arena
THEME: International Night
GAME DAY INFORMATION
TICKETS ($10-$50)
PARKING: (Free)
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM
SSU ROSTER
SSU SCHEDULE
SSU STATISTICS
SSU QUICK FACTS
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL: @SavStateTigers
HASHTAGS: #HailSSU | #SSU
Savannah, Ga. – Savannah State women's basketball held on to first place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division with a dominate win over Fort Valley on Saturday.
The Lady Tigers close out a four-game, week-long homestand today against SIAC East Division rival Albany State. After a grueling first week of the year, they will get a week off before heading to Atlanta on Jan. 16 to face Clark Atlanta.
The Lady Tigers made their way back into the D2SIDA South Region Poll last week in the No. 7 spot following a three-game win streak. In the SIAC East Division standings, Savannah State leads with a 6-2 conference record followed by Clark Atlanta (5-2) and Albany State (4-4).
LAST GAME
Inside Tiger Arena, the Lady Tigers are tough to beat. On Saturday, Fort Valley had an early lead, but at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter, Savannah State took over and never looked back. By the end of the quarter, they led by 10 points.
The Lady Tigers finished strong with an 85-69 win, improving to 6-2 in the conference schedule. Since rejoining the SIAC ahead of the 2019-2020 season, Savannah State women's basketball have a 30-5 record in Tiger Arena—which includes a 19-game winning streak.
PLAYER OUTLOOK
Savannah State has juggled personnel this year due to eligibility issues and injuries. However, the veterans remain stalwarts in the statistics.
The Lady Tigers are led by junior guard #23 Amari Heard, who's putting up 15.4 points a game. Senior forward #22 Bria Gibbs has been key too, scoring 12.5 points a game. Redshirt freshman #20 Nyla Allen is averaging 15.7 points a game this season—and returned to action on Saturday after missing a couple games due to injury.
LAST GAME vs. ALBANY STATE
Since returning to the SIAC and Division II in 2019, Savannah State is 7-0 against Albany State—one of their primary SIAC East Division opponents. The teams last met at the SIAC Tournament on March 4, 2022. Savannah State beat Fort Valley 73-59 en-route to the SIAC Title game.
OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
Albany State enters today's game on a two-game winning streak. Coming off victories against Miles College (49-41) and Edward Waters (54-49). Overall, they are 6-8 this season and 4-4 in SIAC action.
The Golden Rams are led by a pair of seniors: #11 Kashay Hankeson is averaging 12.5 points a game and #12 Juanisha Black is putting away 8.5 points an outing.
Game 2
Savannah State University Tigers (8-4, 6-2 SIAC)
Vs.
Albany State University Golden Rams (3-11, 3-5 SIAC)
TIME: 7:30 p.m., Jan. 9, 2023
LOCATION: Savannah, Ga. | Tiger Arena
THEME: International Night
GAME DAY INFORMATION
TICKETS ($10-$50)
PARKING: (Free)
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM
SSU ROSTER
SSU SCHEDULE
SSU QUICK FACTS
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL: @SavStateTigers
HASHTAGS: #HailSSU | #SSU
Savannah, Ga. – The Tigers are on fire.
The reigning SIAC Champions opened the new year with three big wins in Tiger Arena, beating top-ranked LeMoyne-Owen, then downing Lane College and Fort Valley State for a four-game winning streak--which landed them in first place in the SIAC East Division standings with a 6-2 conference record.
Tonight, Savannah State closes out a four-game, week-long homestand. They head to Atlanta this coming Saturday to face Morehouse and then face Clark Atlanta one week from today on the road. They return to Tiger Arena on Jan. 21.
LAST GAME
On Saturday, Savannah State battled Fort Valley State for lead in the SIAC East Division. The Tigers trailed for most of the first quarter, before bouncing back in the final three minutes. At the half, they had a three-point lead. In the second half, they outscored Fort Valley 34-26 for a huge 64-53 win.
PLAYER OUTLOOK
Senior forward #30 Eleik Bowles has topped most of the stats this season for Savannah State. Bowles is averaging 16.2 points a game and leads the team in field goals made (74), three-point field goals made (15), rebounds (54), steals (19), and minutes (31.4/game).
But stepping up in the last three games has been junior guard #11 Za'Khari Cobb who put away 19 points against Fort Valley on Saturday. Cobb is averaging 9.6 points a game and is just behind Bowles in all of the stats.
LAST GAME VS. ALBANY STATE
Savannah State last faced the Golden Rams on Feb. 21, 2022 in Tiger Arena. The Tigers walked away with a 64-63 win. Eleik Bowles dropped a three-pointer with 4:12 to play lifting Savannah State to the win in that close game. Since rejoining the SIAC in 2019, Savannah State is 2-2 against Albany State.
OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
The Golden Rams are having a rough season. They have only three wins so far, all SIAC games. They enter tonight off a 71-55 rout of Edward Waters this past Saturday.
Albany State is led by senior guard #4 Malik Parker, who's averaging 11.3 points a game. Junior forward #11 Maurice Dickson is just behind Parker, putting away 11.1 points a game.
