Box Score Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Preston Blackmon scored a career-high 26 points, including a 5-for-5 performance from behind the 3-point line, and Savannah State snapped a 13-game losing streak as it built a 16-point lead and held off Southeastern Louisiana, 74-65, on Wednesday in the USM Hardwood Club Holiday Classic at Reed Green Coliseum.
Joshua Montgomery added 22 points, including 3-for-6 from behind the arc, as SSU (2-13) shot a season-high 55 percent (23-for-42) from the floor and 64 percent (9-for-14) from behind the 3-point line. Southeastern, which fell to 5-5 overall will face the loser of the Southern Miss-Mississippi Valley contest in the consolation game.
Blackmon, who entered the game hitting below 30 percent of his long range attempts, drained four 3-pointers in the opening half as the Tigers took a 40-29 lead at halftime.
Savannah State extended its lead to 51-35 with 14:51 remaining on a jumper by Christopher Spears before Southeastern responded with a 12-0 run that was capped by a
David Ndoumba basket with 11:56 remaining. SSU answered as Blackmon drilled a 3-pointer and hit a jumper in the paint before Montgomery added a 3-pointer that pushed the Tiger lead to 59-49 at the 9:30 mark.
Montgomery, who went 6-for-9 from the floor, hit a bucket with 7:48 remaining that gave SSU a 63-51 lead, but Southeastern chipped away at the lead as it held the Tigers without a bucket the rest of the game.
Ndoumba, who scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half for Southeastern, closed the gap to 68-65 with a bucket with 1:30 remaining, but the Tigers scored six of their final 11 points from the free throw line to secure their first win since a season-opening win over Brewton Parker (Ga.) College on Nov. 12.
Brandon Fortenberry added 16 points for Southeastern, 12 in the second half, while
Roosevelt Johnson added 10. Ndoumba grabbed seven rebounds to pace Southeastern while
Deshawn Patterson tied a career-high with four steals.
Southeastern went 24-for-63 (38 percent) from the floor and 3-for-12 from behind the 3-point line.
SAVANNAH STATE (2-13)
Blackmon 7-13 7-9 26; Montgomery 6-9 7-8 22; Shuler 2-5 5-7 10; J. Smith 4-6 0-0 8; Richards 2-4 0-0 4; Spears 2-3 0-0 4; C. Smith 0-1 0-0 0; Jones 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-42 19-24 74.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (5-5)
Ndoumba 7-15 6-7 20; Fortenberry 6-10 2-2 16; Johnson 4-9 2-2 10; Hutchin 2-10 2-2 6; Dixon 2-9 0-0 5; Patterson 1-7 2-3 4; Marks 2-3 0-0 4; Benton 0-0 0-0 0; Harrel 0-0 0-0 0; Campbell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-63 14-16 65.
Halftime – SSU 40, SLU 29. 3-point goals – SSU 9-14 (Blackmon 5-5; Montgomery 3-6; Shuler 1-1; Jones 0-1; Richards 0-1), SLU 3-12 (Fortenberry 2-3; Dixon 1-2; Hutchin 0-6; Patterson 0-1). Fouled out - Fortenberry, Marks. Rebounds – SSU 31 (J. Smith 12), SLU 31 (Ndoumba 7). Assists – SSU 10 (Blackmon 3), SLU 11 (Patterson 4). Total fouls – SSU 19, SLU 22. Technical fouls – None. A – TBA.
