SAVANNAH, Ga.- The Clevan Thompson era of Savannah State basketball got off to a good start with the Tigers rallying from a nine-point deficit on their way to a 64-57 win over Morehouse, in a game played on Wednesday evening in Tiger Arena.

Thompson, who is the first Savannah State alumnus to lead the program since Jack Grant (2000-02), saw his team down 48-39 with 8:24 remaining but a 9-0 run by the Orange & Blue knotted the game up at 48.

A layup by Ayjay Plain started the run which was followed by a 3-pointer by Javonte Landy, another layup by Plain and a pair of free throws by Jeremiah Barze with 6:22 left on the clock.

Morehouse scored the next five points but Savannah answered with a 12-0 run that proved to be the knockout punch they needed to secure Thompson's first win as a head coach on the collegiate level.

During SSU's big finish, four Tigers scored with Plain hitting a 3-pointer and three free throws, Qua King made two free throws and Landy and Jaydon Cousin each made a layup.

Plain aand King both hit two free throws apiece down the stretch to help seal the victory.

Savannah State held Morehouse to just one field goal in the final four minutes as they snapped the Maroon Tigers five game winning streak.

It was the first win for SSU since a 70-61 victory over Lane on December 16, 2024.

Landy came off the bench to lead all scorers with 17 points. Barze added 16 points and five rebounds while Plain chipped in a dozen points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.

King opened the contest with a 3-pointer and Barze followed with a layup for a 5-3 advantage but the Maroon Tigers responded with a 13-2 run for a 16-7 lead after seven minutes of action.

SSU found themselves trailing by seven with 3:01remaining in the first half and used a 5-1 mini-spurt to close the period with Lundy making a 3-pointer and a layup.

Morehouse took a 30-27 advantage into the locker room at intermission.

Four times during the first eight minutes of the second half, Savannah State would close their gap to a single point but Morehouse would always have an answer.

Following a steal by Plain and a fast-break layup by Lundy to pull SSU within 38-37 at the 12:27 mark, Morehouse went on a 10-2 run and looked as if they would run away with the game as they widened their lead to 48-39.

That's when Savannah State started their comeback.

Thompson spent four years as a linebacker at Savannah State and his team displayed the hustle, toughness and grit he wanted to see, out-rebounding Morehouse 37 to 35 and getting ten steals.

SSU had 23 points off 23 Morehouse turnovers, received 25 points from the reserves, had 11 second chance points and 14 fast break points.

King had nine points for the Tigers while Cousin scored eight and Jerry Maxinaud had two.

Savannah State (6-6, 4-4 SIAC) will look to make it two wins in a row when they travel to Albany State on January 11 match-up at 3 p.m.

Stay Connected
For complete coverage of Savannah State University Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @SavStateTigers on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Formerly Known As Twitter), or visit the official online home of SSU Athletics at http://ssuathletics.com.