SAVANNAH, Ga.- Savannah State will start the defense of their Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday, February 28, 2026 against Kentucky State. The game will be played at Tiger Arena with a 1 p.m. tip-off.

The Tigers enter the game as the third seed from the SIAC East while KSU is the sixth seed from the SIAC West.

Savannah State posted a 15-11 overall and a 15-9 conference record during the regular season and Kentucky State was 6-21 overall and 6-18 in SIAC play.

The teams are no strangers, having met twice during the regular season,

In the first meeting, Savannah State had four players finish in double figures in the Tigers 80-72 win over Kentucky State in Tiger Arena on December 6, 2025.

Zion Davis had 16 points while Jordan Mikell  and Zyere Edwards scored 14 points apiece and Javonte Landy added 12 points.

Savannah State used a 17-4 run to grab a 38-25 advantage with 41 seconds left in the first period and led 38-28 at the break.

A layup by Mikell followed by a 3-pointer from Landy to open the second period gave Savannah State their largest lead of the evening at 43-28 with 19:08 remaining.

The Tigers saw their lead whittle down to 52-47 with 12:24left but Kentucky State would not be able to get any closer the remainder of the game.

In their second meeting, SSU led by as many as 11 points in the second half but could not hold on to the lead in a 78-75 loss to the Thorobreds on January 31, 2026 in the William Exum HPER Center.

The Tigers were down 43-38 early in the second period before stringing together a 21-5 run to take a 59-48 lead with 13:19 left in the game.

KSU was able to get within four at the 9:23 mark but a layup and a free throw by Braylon Jackson and a layup by James Leach pushed the Tigers lead to 67-58.

The Thorobreds chipped away at the SSU lead and tied the score at 71 with 2:19 on the clock.

A jumper by Edwards gave Savannah State a 75-74 lead with 1:04 left but KSU finished the game with the final four points to earn the win.

Leach had 18 points for the Tigers and Landy added 17 more and five assists.

Savannah State enters this game riding a two-game winning streak while the Thorbreds have lost their last three contests by an average of 23.1 points.

The Tigers score as well as surrender 67.3 points a game. 

Landy is the team leader, averaging 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Edwards has contributed 9.8 points, 2.2 steals and 2.1 assists per night while Davis averages 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

Other SSU players to watch are Leach (7.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 33 blocks), Chancellor Wilson (5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds) and Jordan Mikell (7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds). Michael Swift is also a threat, shooting 550 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc and 81 percent from the free throw line while averaging 6.9 points a night.

Kentucky State will counter with Melvin Gregory (6-7, 210), Aziel Blackwell (6'2"), Sean Paige (6-7, 285) and Kur Maler (6-10, 210).

Gregory averages 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while Blackwell produces 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals and Paige averages 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds a night. Maler only averages 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game but he uses his 6-foot-10 to alter shots. He has blocked 32 shots this season.

As a team, the Thorobreds average 69.2 points a game while giving up 80.4 each game.

While Savannah State has struggled on the road this season, they play well at home. The Tigers have a 11-2 record when playing in Tiger Arena this season.

GAME INFORMATION
#6W Kentucky State vs. #3E Savannah State
Date: Saturday, February 28th
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Tiger Arena | Savannah, Georgia
Ticket Information: http://ssuathletics.com/tickets
*SIAC, GHSA, Season Ticket, and Presidents Club passes will not be honored for this game

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Channel: Savannah State Sports Network
Broadcaster: Joshua Ryans (Play-By-Play)
Broadcast Link: https://siacnetwork.tv/ssutigers/
Live Stats Link: https://ssuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

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.