The Wildcats had its better stretch in the wrong part of the game Saturday in their key matchup.
Fort Valley State controlled the opening 16 minutes, but a Savannah State run before the half propelled it to the 64-53 men’s basketball victory in a battle for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East Division lead.
After a pair of Brelan Holston free throws gave FVSU a five-point lead with 4:01 in the opening stanza, Savannah State netted the next 11 points in the next 1:38 to go ahead, 30-24. The Wildcats’ Jamal Reynolds drove in for the opening bucket of the second 20 minutes to make it a 30-29 slim deficit.
The visitors, though, went 6:03 without a field goal in the middle part of the second half where the Tigers went from ahead by three, 37-34, to a 13-point difference, 52-39, with 8:16 left. FVSU was only able to slice off two points from the deficit from there.
With the win, Savannah State (8-4) moves into the SIAC East lead at 6-2. After its second defeat this week, FVSU (7-8) goes to 5-3 in the Division.
Myson Lowe and Jamal Reynolds were the lone two double-figure FVSU scorers with 12 and 10 points, 20 of the points coming in the first half. K.J. Doucet had his season-low total of seven points. Holston scored a career-high six points as he was 6 for 6 at the foul line.
The Wildcats connected on only 1 of 13 from long-range and they committed 18 turnovers in the contest.
Za’Khair Cobb led all scorers with 19 points, 10 from the foul line, for the Tigers.
Courtesy: Fort Valley State Athletics
