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Poetter Hall was purchased by the SCAD founders in March 1979. Classes began in September of that year.  
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Profiles

SCAD upsets No. 2 Wooster


SCAD guard Labeeb Abdullah 
Photo by Chia Chiung Chong
SCAD guard Labeeb Abdullah goes up for a basket against the College of Wooster’s Rodney Mitchell in a landmark game for the Bees.

By Jim Mathews
Published: Friday, January 12, 2001

Deleon Rogers had the hot hand and Keith Davis continued to impress on the defensive end as the SCAD men’s basketball team defeated Emory University 71-65 at the Savannah Civic Center, Jan. 9.

Rogers scored 25 points, including nine points in a span of less than two minutes to stave off an Emory run late in the second half. He was 3-for-8 from the three-point arc and a perfect 8-for-8 from inside the arc. He also tallied five defensive rebounds and two steals for the Bees.

Freshman Davis scored 14 points for SCAD including a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. But his presence was felt more on the defensive end of the floor, where he covered Eagles center David Schaaf. Schaaf scored 19 points, but they weren’t easy baskets as Davis continually hounded the big man throughout the game, often forcing Schaaf to take a second option, or off-balance shot. Davis blocked two shots and swiped the ball six times from Eagle players.

It was SCAD’s fourth game in five days, fourth straight victory and seventh in their last eight games, raising their record to 12-8 and improving their chances for postseason play.

If revenge is a dish best served cold, that dish was freezing cold for the College of Wooster as the SCAD men’s basketball team defeated the Scots 83-78 at the Savannah Civic Center, Jan. 8. It was the first defeat for the second-ranked team in the nation.
Going into the game, the Bees sought revenge from a one-point loss to Wooster (67-66) on Nov. 18. This time however, the result was never really in doubt as Marcus Ross scored the first eight points of the game for the Bees to power the team to a 16-point lead late in the first half. The Scots made a run cutting into the lead, but SCAD was able to maintain a 12-point lead (42-30) at the half.

"The kids were up for the game," coach Cazzie Russell said. "The team, I thought, really got themselves prepared mentally and physically to play Wooster. They felt they should have beaten them last time. I could see the commitment. It all built upon a conversation we had last week, telling them that we had a tough stretch — four games in five nights — and finding out just who was up for the task."

Ross finished with 25 points, 16 of them in the first half, while sophomore point guard Labeeb Abdullah, subbing for Carroll Boomer III, came off the bench to score 23 points (17 in the second half) for the Bees. They were the only players for finish with double digits for the Bees. Wooster placed three players in double figures. Antwyan Reynolds finished with 32 points (25 in the first 25 minutes of the game) and Bryan Nelson and Nate Carlisle each finished with 10.

Abdullah’s heroics came at a crucial time for SCAD, as the Scots cut the lead to single digits.

"Coach told me to try to get the tempo down," Abdullah said. "He told me to penetrate and dish the ball, or pull up for the jumper, but to just go in there under control. They didn’t have anybody who could guard House (Ross) and we just kept trying to run plays through him to get our offensive flow back.

"Defensively, at half time coach talked about keeping the intensity up. The tighter we played on defense, the more fast-break opportunities would come. That’s how we scored a lot of points." Abdullah said.

"I thought the adjustments we made against Wooster, defensively and the things we tried to do offensively paid dividends," Russell said. "We wanted to put pressure on them and get those fast-break baskets, not just rely on our half-court game. Wooster is one of the best defensive teams in terms of defending the half-court game. And we played well together. We got a good lift from the bench. Adam (Thomason) played good defense and Labeeb’s performance was clutch when it seemed the guys were sputtering a little bit."

The importance of the victory over Wooster was not lost on the team, as the Bees defeated their second ranked opponent in a row. On Jan. 6, the team bested No. 22 Williams College 50-49 in the championship game of the Williams College Tournament.

"It was a very big game," Abdullah said. "Coach was telling us this was our biggest game since last year, especially after coming off a victory over another ranked team. Beating the No. 2 team was very important for us."

Against Williams College, the Bees found themselves down two with 15 seconds left. The team kept their composure, inbounded the ball and whittled nine seconds off the clock before Rogers hit a three-point shot to give SCAD the 50-49 victory. Rogers, the tournament MVP finished with nine points, while Keith Davis had a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds.

Ross finished with a double-double grabbing 10 rebounds to compliment his 10 points. Ross was also selected to the All-Tournament Team.

SCAD advanced to the championship game after crushing Gordon College 83-54 in the first game. The Bees outscored Gordon 40-15 in the second half to win the game.

Eric Smith finished with 21 points for SCAD, while Davis scored 18 and swiped nine rebounds. Rogers and Kris Perpich each finished with 11 points.

The string of victories couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bees, who were starting to see their postseason chances slip away after a five-game losing streak a few weeks ago. But, Russell said his team was not ready to fold.

"When their backs were against the wall, some teams would have just thrown in the towel," he said. "They showed a lot of their character and that has come out in the last three games."

The Bees now have a few weeks off before traveling to Fisk University Jan. 20. They return home to face Chowan College Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Savannah Civic Center. 

 
Athlete Profiles