Preston Blackman scored 21 points and Rashad Hassan scored all 11 of his points in the second half as Savannah State defeated North Florida 54-47 Wednesday in a nonconference matchup.
Blackman was 8 of 11 from the field - including 3 of 6 from deep - while Hassan was 5 of 8.
North Florida (1-2) led 30-22 at halftime and pushed that lead to 11, 33-22, behind two free throws from Parker Smith to start the second half. Savannah State, however, used a 19-7 run to retake the lead, 41-40, with 12 minutes left to play. Hassan scored eight points during the run and Blackman added seven.
Savannah State (2-1) would not relinquish the lead, using free throws and tough defense to seal the victory.
Smith led North Florida with 17 points but the Ospreys made just 2 of 9 shots and committed eight turnovers over the final 12 minutes.
