The Clark Atlanta University Panthers dropped their second consecutive game, falling to Savannah State 85-67 in Savannah, Ga., Wednesday.

The loss drops the Panthers (6-8, 3-5 SIAC) a little further back in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East Division race with CAU remaining in fifth place, but now two games behind fourth-place Albany State, and two-and-a-half games behind third-place Savannah State (7-8, 5-4 SIAC).

Monday, Savannah State led from start to finish, though the first half was mostly close.  Justin Longstreet hit a 3-pointer with 8:03 left before halftime that pulled the Panthers to within one at 24-23.  Savannah State countered with a basket and CAU got a free throw by Vernice Seriale III that made it 26-24.  But the Tigers ended the half by going on a 24-13 run that gave them a 13-point lead at halftime.

The first seven minutes of the second half saw CAU whittle the SSU lead down to five after Kye Jeremiah's free throw made it 56-51.  But from that point, CAU could only manage five throws over a six-minute span that saw Savannah State get the lead back up to 13 – 69-56 – with 7:57 remaining.  The lead grew to as many as 20 points as SSU maintained the advantage to take the win.

Chris Martin led four Panthers in double figures Monday, scoring 15 points, while grabbing six rebounds and making four steals. Longstreet finished with 14 points, while Jeremiah had 13 points, three rebounds and a steal. Javonte Sterling added ten points and seven rebounds.

Avery Joyner led Savannah State with 18 points, while Marcus Scott added 15.

The Panthers are back home on Saturday and Monday when they host Benedict (13-4, 9-1 SIAC) at 4 p.m. this weekend and Allen (3-14) to close out January.