SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Rams were digging all evening on the state's east coast. Albany State found the early contest tough going and made it hard to comeback Saturday as Savannah State took away the 72-58 men's basketball home win.

After a Jordan Simpson layup for the Golden Rams for a three-point early difference, the Tigers took the margin to double figures, 18-8, with the next seven points for the first double-digit margin. ASU cut the spread back to seven points, 20-13, on a Cameron Evans bucket. Savannah State increased its 10-point edge late in the opening stanza to 16 points with the opening four points of the last 20 minutes and kept ASU no closer than the same 10 points over the final 17 minutes.

Shakur Poteat continued his solid play for the Golden Rams with a trio of 3-pointers and 8 of 9 free throws for a game-best 21 points to go with five assists, four steals and three rebounds. Simpson recorded a double-double with a 6 of 7 field goal night for 13 points and equaled it with 13 rebounds. Evans added a third double-figure scorer with 10 points to go with a pair of assists and steals. Reggie James and Blaise Wallace rounded out the effort with five points apiece.

Zion Davis came off the home Tiger bench for 19 points.

Simpson cut the Golden Ram deficit down to 13 points, 42-29, only 3:01 into the second half. It was the closest the visitors made it until they put together a 7-0 spurt on three scores in a row from James, a 3-pointer, and buckets from both Wallace and Poteat to make it 62-52 with 6:54 remaining. Savannah State put the next six points on the scoreboard and held off another ASU push.

ASU moves on to close the regular season on Monday night, Feb. 26, where it faces Edward Waters in Jacksonville, Fla., in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.