It’s been a pretty good week for Savannah State senior guard Preston Blackman.
He left Tiger Arena on Saturday night sporting two trophies and a ring. A few minutes earlier, he ripped the hearts from the Florida A&M Rattlers.
Blackman’s jumper with 17 seconds left gave SSU a thrilling 57-55 victory over Florida A&M and extended the Tigers’ winning streak to four games.
Savannah State (9-9, 3-1 MEAC) now prepares for a nationally televised game on ESPNU with Bethune-Cookman on Monday.
Blackman has been putting on a pretty good show without the fanfare, and he’s been collecting the spoils.
At halftime of the SSU women’s game, Blackman and his teammates were honored with rings for their 2011-12 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championship.
Before the men’s game, Blackman appeared at midcourt to be presented a trophy for making his 1,000th career point against Allen University on Jan. 8.
After Saturday’s game, Blackman gained more hardware with a trophy sponsored by Coastal Chevrolet for being Saturday’s player of the game.
The game was televised locally by WGSA.
“I’m eager to win,” Blackman said. “Down with a minute to go, I’ll take the shot if I have to. I just want to win.”
Blackman displayed his competitive nature by dropping in 41 points the last time out in a double-overtime win over Morgan State. He was the first Savannah State player to score more than 40 in a game in 34 years.
He finished with 14 on Saturday, none bigger than a short jumper in the lane that sent a crowd of 1,923 home happy.
FAMU (4-14, 1-3 MEAC) had one last great chance. Reggie Lewis got wide open at the top of the key, but missed the potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2 seconds to go.
“I was slightly disappointed with how we played,” SSU coach Horace Broadnax said. “We have to understand the sense of challenge. People aren’t going to come in here and just roll over. People have pride. Give Florida A&M some kudos and respect. They played well enough to win.”
But the Tigers turned up their defensive intensity at just the right time. They trailed by nine in the first half and were still behind 49-43 with 9:11 left before holding A&M scoreless for nearly six minutes.
“We needed those stops,” Blackman said. “When we play defense, we’re a different team. When we exploit our energy, games usually go our way.”
This one turned 180 degrees as well. A 10-0 run gave SSU a 53-49 lead with 3:23 left.
But the Tigers could have had a bigger lead. They missed the front ends of two one-and-ones.
A steal and a layup by A&M’s point guard Jamie Adams, who had a game-high 18 points, tied the game at 53.
Arnold Louis’s layup boosted SSU back into the lead, 55-53, with 2:22 left.
With a chance to extend the advantage, Jyles Smith missed two free throws.
It left an opening for A&M’s Trey Kellum to tie the game with a layup with 44 seconds remaining.
But that just put Blackman in position for more heroics.
“That’s what seniors should be doing,” Blackman said.
FLORIDA A&M (4-14)
Adams 6-10 2-2 18, Lewis 5-10 2-2 13, Teal 3-6 0-0 6, Bradshaw 3-7 1-2 7, Kellum 2-6 2-2 6, Bullard 0-3 0-0 0, Abdul-Aleem 1-3 2-2 4, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Odi 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 20-45 10-12 55.
SAVANNAH STATE (9-9)
Blackman 6-15 2-2 14, White 0-2 0-0 0, C. Smith 1-4 1-2 3, Hassan 3-10 4-7 10, Spears 4-4 0-0 8, Burger 1-3 0-0 3, Hutchins 0-1 0-0 0, Hendley 3-5 1-2 8, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Louis 5-10 1-4 11, J. Smith 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 23-55 9-19 57.
Halftime—Tied 29-29. 3-Point Goals—FAMU 5-15 (Adams 4-7, Lewis 1-4, Bullard 0-1, Bradshaw 0-3), SSU. 2-9 (Hendley 1-1, Burger 1-2, Louis 0-1, White 0-1, Hutchins 0-1, Blackman 0-3). Fouled Out—Teal. Rebounds—FAMU 25 (Abdul-Aleem 6), SSU 39 (Louis 8). Assists—FAMU 10 (Bradshaw 6), SSU 10 (Blackman 4). Total Fouls—FAMU 17, SSU 13. A—1,923.