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Recap: Savannah State 54, North Florida 47
Savannah State 54, North Florida 47: Preston Blackman led the way with 21 points and Rashad Hassan scored all 11 of his points in the second half as the Tigers rallied to defeat the visiting Ospreys.
Hassan, the preseason player of the year in the MEAC, was held scoreless and attempted just one shot in the first half. He went 5-of-8 from the field and 1-of-2 at the line after intermission, helping the Tigers (2-1) erase a five-point halftime deficit.
Parker Smith led North Florida (1-2) with 17 points, 12 in the first half. Travis Wallace added nine points off the bench. The rest of the Ospreys combined to make just eight shots from the floor.
North Florida hit on all cylinders early, using a 10-0 run to pull ahead 19-9. Savannah State got back into the game by opening the second half on an 8-2 run, regaining the lead on a Blackman jumper with 18:17 showing.
The Tigers led by as many as five, 45-40, before going into a scoreless funk that lasted more than five minutes and allowed North Florida to tie the game. But Blackman sank a 3-pointer with 3:38 left to put Savannah State ahead for good, and the Tigers went 5-of-6 from the line in the final 34 seconds to wrap up the victory.
