Courtesy of Savannah State Athletics
ATLANTA, Ga.- Savannah State claimed their second SIAC Tournament Championship since 2022, following their 67-66 win over Tuskegee on Saturday afternoon inside Forbes Arena on the HBCU campus of Morehouse College.
With the game knotted at 66, Javonte Landy hit the game-winning free throw with two seconds left. After a timeout by Tuskegee, the Golden Tigers attempted to throw a full-court length pass, but it was tipped and picked off by an SSU player, and Savannah State won the game. Landy led the Tigers with 23 points, making 4-of-6 of his shots from beyond the arc as well as 5-of-6 from the free throw line. With just under five minutes remaining in the game, SSU trailed by eight but strung together a 14-3 run that gave them a 66-63 lead with 16 seconds left.
Landy keyed the run with a layup, two jumpers, two free throws, and a 3-pointer, but it was a 3-pointer by Ayjay Plain that put SSU ahead by three with 16 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Tuskegee tied the game at 66 with a 3-pointer, forcing SSU to call a timeout. Landy was fouled and missed the first of his two free throw attempts before hitting the second one.
Savannah State scored the first five points of the HBCU conference tournament contest thanks to two free throws by Qua King and a 3-pointer by Landy, and the Tigers used a 7-0 spurt to build a ten-point advantage with 12:56 left in the first period. Tuskegee was able to tie the game at 25 and take a 27-25 lead with just over three minutes left. A 3-pointer by Landy put the Tigers in front 28-27, but Tuskegee took a 32-28 lead into the half and scored the first two baskets of the second half to increase their lead to 36-28.
With the Golden Tigers ahead 46-39, SSU scored the next eight points to get in front 47-46 with 9:22 left. The teams traded baskets, and Tuskegee went back up by eight before Savannah State put together its late run.
During the tournament, Savannah State faced teams that beat them during the regular season. Spring Hill beat SSU by 16 on December 19, Miles beat the Tigers by 13 on Dec. 7, Central State edged SSU by two on Dec. 2, and Tuskegee used a late run to down Savannah State by 13 on January 4.
But during the tournament, SSU found another gear and turned the tables on the opposition, beating Spring Hill 79-74, Miles 63-61, Central State 53-48, and Tuskegee 67-66. In the championship game, the Tigers shot 52.2 percent from the field in the second half.
King, who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Landy, along with Plain, who ended the game with 16 points, were both named to the all-tournament team. Jaydon Cousin added five points, and Jeremiah Barze chipped in four points for the Tigers. Savannah State ends the tournament riding eight-game HBCU hoops winning streak, improving to 18-11, the most wins since the 2012-13 season when they had 19 victories.
Plain and Austin Lewis will leave SSU with two conference tournament rings from 2022 and 2025. The Tigers have also won SIAC titles in 1970, 1979, 1980, and 1981.
Savannah State will turn its attention to the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament. The selection show will be on Sunday evening at 11:00 pm on NCAA.com