SIAC MEN
Savannah State 76, Benedict 62
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Savannah State came into last week’s Men’s SIAC Basketball Tournament as a third seed with a less than .500 mark in conference play (8-9), but that did not stop head coach Horace Broadnax’s Tigers from putting on a clinic in taking their first crown
For the first time this season, Savannah State strung together four consecutive wins. In the tournament, they started off with a win over Lane, then Tuskegee, then they broke Morehouse’s 18-game win streak to make Saturday’s final. During the regular season, the Tigers lost to Morehouse twice, Benedict twice, Lane once and beat Tuskegee.
“I am proud of these guys,” Savannah State Head Coach Horace Broadnax said in a post-game press conference. “They locked in. They put their differences aside. They formed a true team tonight to win this championship.”
The last Savannah State men’s basketball team to win an NCAA Division II SIAC Championship was the 1981 team, in the school’s first season in the division. The 1980 and 1979 teams also won SIAC Championships, but on the NCAA Division III level. The 1985 team finished runner- up in the SIAC Championship Tournament, falling to Albany State.
Five-nine sophomore point guard Marcus Scott was the named the 2022 SIAC Championship MVP for his work during the tournament. Scott canned a 3-pointer with 15:58 to go in the first half that gave SSU a 8-6 lead and began a 21-0 run. It led to a 46-15 halftime lead.
Scott led the team with 18 points on the night, going 4-for-8 from the three-point line and 5-for-12 from the field. Avery Joyner had an exceptional game, putting away 15 points of his own. Christian Blue tacked on 10 and Trey DeLoach scored nine in the win.
By virtue of the win, Savannah State (15-13) earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Div. II South Re- gion playoffs. The Tigers are seeded eighth and will play top seed and host Nova Southeastern (28-0) in the first round on its home floor in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Saturday at 4 p.m.
SIAC Tournament top seed Miles, who lost to Bene- dict in the semifinals, also is in the South Region playoff field. The Golden Bears (24-4) are seeded fifth and will play fourth-seeded Union (23-8), the runners-up in the Gult South Conference tournament, Saturday at 6:30 p.m.