Savannah, Ga. - Austin Dahn converted four three-pointers, three coming in the second half, to lead The Citadel to a 54-47 victory over Savannah State at Tiger Arena on Saturday. Teammates Harrison DuPont and Bryan Streeter also reached double figures, 11 points apiece, as the Bulldogs move to 7-7 on the season. Dahn knocked down four treys in a game for the ninth time in his career and first since a meeting at Samford (Jan. 26, 2009).
"We have worked on trying to get those guys (Dahn, Streeter and DuPont) the ball in places where they can be productive," said Head Coach Ed Conroy after the game. "It shows the unselfish play of Zach and Cameron and now we just have to find that balance of them having the production that we normally count on to go along with it."
DuPont, who started his first collegiate game, converted 5-of-8 from the field which included a long range shot in the opening minutes of play. Meanwhile the combination of Streeter, Dahn and Daniel Eykyn accounted for a 27-2 difference in bench scoring. As a unit, the Bulldogs converted 20-of-43 attempts (46.5%), while limiting the Tigers to 18-of-45 (40%) from the field.
Leading 40-29 at the 8:11 mark, Dahn knocked down a key 3-pointer on the next Citadel possession to push the lead to 14. Savannah State followed with an 11-3 run that narrowed the gap to 47-40 with 1:35 remaining in the game. Dahn again stepped up and hit his fourth shot from downtown, on a pass from Zach Urbanus, that helped seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
As for the Tigers, who slip to 5-10 overall, the tandem of Tracy Rankins (17 pts.) and Rashad Hassan (13 pts.) led the team in scoring. Rankins managed to hit 7-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-7 from 3-point range, while Hassan was 5-for-9 in the game. Hassan added eight rebounds to give the Tigers a 29-24 edge in the paint.
The Citadel took a 26-18 lead into the break behind five points by DuPont and four each from Cosmo Morabbi, Cameron Wells and Eykyn. Eykyn gave the Bulldogs a lift off the bench, playing four minutes and converting a pair of free throws in the final minute of play.
DuPont scored the first five points of the contest before a 13-2 run by the Tigers, highlighted by six points from Rashad Hassan, made for a 13-7 Savannah State lead at the 10:41 mark. The Citadel responded with defensive prowess and regained the lead, 17-16, on a Wolfinger layup just over five minutes later.
Dahn knocked down a three-pointer with 3:27 in the first, giving the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish, 20-18. Eykyn accounted for the next four points, including a layup, before Streeter's hook pushed the lead to eight points.
Bulldog Postgame Notes
Junior guard Cameron Wells was held to six points, halting a 17-game streak in which he reached double figures. The streak began Feb. 28, 2009 against Wofford.
From here The Citadel moves into Southern Conference play when they tip-off against Appalachian State on Jan. 6,
