Clark Atlanta was the No. 1 seed in the SIAC East heading into today’s matchup versus Savannah State, but for the majority of the game it felt like a swift exit was a real possibility. The Panthers looked like a team that hadn’t played in ten days during the first half before getting it together late for a 54-53 win.
Savannah State, who is the host school for the SIAC Tournament, ran out to a 34-21 halftime lead, staying a step ahead of the Panthers for the first 20 minutes. SSU shot a blistering 70 percent from the three point line in the first half to fuel the surge. The usual stingy Clark Atlanta defense was gathering its sea legs as the host Tigers bombed away early.
But in the second half the No. 1 seed showed up in force. SIAC player of the year Chris Martin poured in 28 points to fuel the comeback but he wasn’t available to close the game out. Martin fouled out with 4:36 remaining with SSU leading 51-50.
The Tigers went ahead 53-52 with 2:54 remaining with a pair of free throws from Ajay Plain. From that point on CAU missed three jump shots and turned the ball over once until the possession of the game.
Coming out of a timeout Andrew Stewart hit a short floating jump shot with six seconds remaining to retake the lead at 54-53. Stewart finished with 9 points, no other CAU player besides Martin scored in double figures. Qua King missed what could have been the game winner, on a very good look, as time expired for Savannah State. Clark Atlanta will face the winner of Friday’s Tuskegee versus Benedict game in Saturday’s semifinal.