On the first day of the quarterfinals in the SIAC basketball tournament, we got our first big upset thus far in the men’s bracket, and both Clark Atlanta teams secured their spot in the semifinals.
Here is a full recap of the day’s action in the SIAC Tournament.
Women
Miles 64, Savannah State 43
The defending SIAC champion Miles Golden Bears kept its chances of repeating intact, cruising into the semifinal round with a 64-43 win over Savannah State.
Iemyiah Harris led the Golden Bears with 11 points and two steals while Makayla Rieves posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Feliah Greer nearly recorded a triple-double, tallying eight points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.
Myasia Jones paced the Tigers in scoring off the bench with 12 points. Jazmine Thornton filled the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
With 5:18 remaining in the first quarter, Savannah State scored to tie the game 5-5. This would be the last time this game was that close as Miles ended the quarter on a 7-0 run, taking and keeping the lead for the rest of the contest.
The Golden Bears dominated the Tigers on the boards, out-rebounding them 57-31. This includes a 30-11 advantage on the offensive glass.
Clark Atlanta 67, Central State 39
The Clark Atlanta Panthers are also heading to the semifinal round, breezing past Central State in a 67-39 win.
All-SIAC forward Atreiona Garner scored a game-high 12 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, followed by Brooklyn McKinley with 10 points.
This was a wire-to-wire win for the Panthers, jumping out to a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and did not look back.
Clark Atlanta’s best offense was its defense, converting 20 Central State turnovers into 20 points on the other end.
Men
Savannah State 63, Miles 61
In the biggest upset of the SIAC tournament so far, the Savannah State Tigers defeated the SIAC West division champion Miles Golden Bears 63-61, sending them home empty-handed.
In addition to ending Miles’ streak of SIAC championship game appearances, this will be the first time the Golden Bears have failed to reach the semifinals since 2018.
Javonte Luncy and Qua King each knocked in 17 points for the Tigers, with the latter adding six rebounds and three steals.
SIAC Player of the Year Alvin Miles gave his all for the Golden Bears, recording 22 points, four assists, and four steals.
In what was a tight contest from start to finish, neither team held a lead that exceeded six points and the lead changed 22 times, including 16 lead changes in the second half.
The Tigers took the lead for good on a go-ahead jumper by Jerry Maxinaud with 59 seconds left before later sealing the win at the free throw line.
Clark Atlanta 77, Kentucky State 72
In the final game of the day, the defending SIAC men’s champion Clark Atlanta Panthers overcame a Kentucky State rally to escape with a 77-72 victory.
Shemani Fuller led Clark Atlanta with 22 points, 16 rebounds, and two steals. Martez Jones came off the bench to score a season-high 23 points on 82% shooting from the field and six rebounds.
Kentucky State guard Lavar Miller scored a game-high 29 points with all eight of his shots from the field coming from three-point range. Gregory Melvin finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Things looked bleak for the Thorobreds when they fell behind 17-3 through the game’s first eight minutes. However, a quick 8-0 run kept them within striking distance for the remainder of the period, eventually taking a 40-39 lead before the end of the half.
In the second half, Jones went to work for the Panthers, scoring 13 of his 23 points to lift his team into the semifinals.
