SAVANNAH, Ga.- A 6-0 mini run midway in the second proved to be the spark Savannah State needed to separate themselves from a pesky Spring Hill team in a 71-54 victory over the Badgers in a game played at Tiger Arena on December 18, 2023.
 
Following a free throw by Spring Hill's Isaiah Veal, the Tigers answered with a pair of free throws by Ayjay Plain and a jumper by Qua King. After Spring Hill missed a jumper, King got the rebound and passed it to Plain who in turn found Javonte Landy for a fast break layup to cap the spurt and give SSU a 54-39 lead with ten minutes remaining in the game.
 
A 8-0 run by the Tigers stretched their lead to 71-49 with 1:49 left.
 
The win closed out a three-game home-stand for SSU and kept them undefeated at home.
 
It was Savannah State's last contest before the 2024 portion of the season starts on January 4 with a road trip to Memphis, Tennessee to play LeMoyne-Owen.
 
In a game that had five ties and six lead changes, it was the Tigers defense that shut down Spring Hill's high powered offense as well as their top scoring threat.
 
The Badgers entered the contest averaging 80.3 points a game while their top scorer, Walter Peggs, came in scoring 22.3 points a night. The result was Spring Hill scoring 26.3 points under their average and Peggs being held to just nine points. Timothy Reilly averaged 7.2 rebounds but only grabbed three against the Tigers.
 
A fastbreak dunk by Chancellor Wilson were the first points of the game and put SSU in the lead, 2-0 but Spring Hill followed and took a 11-7 lead after six minutes of play.
 
The first period was tight with no team leading by more than six points.
 
With just under three minutes remaining, SSU led 30-27 but a jumper by Veal drew the Badgers within one.
 
The Tigers would close the half with five unanswered points as King made a layup and  a free throw and Plain made two free throws to send SSU into the half with a 35-29 lead.
 
A jumper by King to start the second half gave Savannah State an eight point lead. That lead grew to 47-36 with 13:13 left after a jumper by Jordan Mikel.
 
Spring Hill stayed close and sliced their deficit to single digits after a free throw by Veal with 11:31 remaining.
 
That's when Savannah State strung together their mini-run to close the deal on the game as they improved to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
 
SSU took advantage of the Badger mistakes, scoring 27 points off 25 Spring Hill turnovers. The Tigers also had 28 points in the paint.
 
King had a double-double with 16 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
 
Three others also scored in double figures with Plain scoring a game-high 17 points to go with his six assists and five steals. Wilson had 12 points and Jordan chipped in ten.
 
Michael Swift added eight points, Landy scored five and Zion Davis had two.
 
Veal had 13 for the Badgers (6-6, 3-3 SIAC).