Savannah State 65, The Citadel 61 (OT)

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Zach Urbanus scored a team-high 17 points and in the process moved to 10th place on The Citadel's all-time scoring list, however Savannah State earned its first victory in the series, 65-61 in overtime. Also reaching double figures for the Bulldogs was Mike Groselle, who finished with 15 points. It is the first overtime session for the Cadets since a meeting with Davidson on Jan. 30, 2010.

The Citadel, who moves its record to 9-18 overall, finished 24-of-55 (43.6%) from the floor. Groselle led the team by hitting 7-of-12 attempts, while Urbanus closely followed by hitting 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.  Cameron Wells, who snapped a 16-game double figure scoring streak, converted 4-of-12 field goal attempts to close the game with nine points. The duo of Austin Dahn and Bo Holston grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, each finishing with three on the offensive glass, as the Dogs finished in a 37-37 deadlock on the boards. Wells and Urbanus, who finished with six and four assist respectfully, were the catalyst to the offense.

Savannah State (7-19) broke into the win column in the eighth all-time meeting between the two schools behind Jovonni Shuler's game-high 24 points. Shuler capped off a performance that included 8-of-19 from the floor and 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Teammates Joshua Montgomery (15 points) and Preston Blackmon (13 points) rounded out double-digit scorers for the Tigers. Up front the Bulldogs were not able to match Jyles Smith who grabbed 10 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. Savannah State totaled 13 offensive rebounds between the combination of Smith and Cedric Smith.

The Tigers rallied from a five point deficit at the intermission to tie the game, 33-33, on a Shuler 3-pointer early in the second half. Groselle quickly answered with a layup, on a pass from Dahn, giving The Citadel a slim lead. On the following possession Shuler drew the foul and made good on the old fashioned three-point play to give SVSU the 36-35 advantage.

Just over two minutes later, with the Bulldogs leading by a pair, Blackmon knotted the game at 40-40 on a jumper. Urbanus gave The Citadel lineup energy with his only 3-pointer of the second half, to spark a 10-0 run. The trio of Wells, Eykyn and Groselle also contributed over the next 2:04 to make for the 50-40 advantage.

Shuler ended the Savannah State drought with a 3-pointer from the right corner, on a pass from Blackmon, as the Tigers went on to score 10 of the next 12 points to pull within two, 52-50.

Savannah State continued to find the mark, giving themselves a 55-52 lead with 1:53 remaining behind jumpers from Blackmon and Jyles Smith. However, Groselle single-handedly sent the game to an overtime session with three points in a 44 second span.

After an early layup by Groselle in the overtime session, the Tigers scored the next seven consecutive points to take a 62-57 lead. Savannah State took advantage of a 3-pointer from Shuler and five free throws from the combination of Blackmon, Montgomery and Jyles Smith to close out the victory.

In the opening half, Urbanus capped off a perfect 3-of-3 performance from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, to score a game-high 12 points. His only imperfection came from the free throw line, 4-5. Streeter joined Urbanus in scoring with six as the only other Bulldog with three made field goals. Dahn cleared the glass for five rebounds, including two on the offensive end, as the Dogs held a slight 19-18 on the boards.

Savannah State established an early 6-0 lead with four points from Shuler, including a 3-pointer from the left elbow. The Bulldogs responded with four players scoring, including three points each from the combination of Eykyn and Dahn, to provide a 9-8 lead at the 13:48 mark. The Tigers bounced back with a trey from Joshua Montgomery and a layup by Cedric to retake the lead, 13-9, just over a minute later.

A Wells layup began a 15-4 run by The Citadel, highlighted by Urbanus' 11 points, to provide a 26-18 edge on the scoreboard. Urbanus connected on a pair of 3-pointers and was fouled on another attempt, hitting all three free throw attempts. Bo Holston added to the Bulldog charge with an emphatic dunk in the lane on a pass from Urbanus, bringing the crowd to its feet.

After a layup by Stephen Wilson ended the Savannah State scoring drought, Streeter caught a pass from Holston for the up-and-under layup. The Citadel followed with the final three points of the game on a free throw from Urbanus and a layup by Streeter for the 31-23 halftime advantage.