MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The #3 Roadrunners marked another championship for the record book as they defeated William Carey (Miss.) 90-80 to claim the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery, AL.

THE FIRST HALF
William Carey opened with an early lead as an assist by Maurice Stephens to Leo Garrett would give the Crusaders the advantage at 10-4 with 15:23 left. Dalton State would begin to shrink the gap to 4 at 13-9 with a shot from three by Reed Dungan with 13:04 left, but would be unable to maintain their momentum as the Crusaders would widen the difference to 8 points at 17-9 with 11:21 remaining in the first half. Both teams would continue to move the ball to each side of the court, but the Roadrunners would find their chance when Carnilious Simmons and Sayvon Wilson made back-to-back steals to deny Crusaders ball control and put Dalton State ahead for the first time in the half, 31-30 after a shot from three by Isaiah Box with 2:34 left. The Crusaders would mount a mini attack to take the lead by 3 points, 35-32 going into the break.

THE SECOND HALF
The Crusaders wasted no time out the gate and grew their lead to 7 at 41-34 with 18:04 left. The Roadrunners responded by increasing their pressure in the paint, and shrunk to gap to 1 at 47-46 when an assist by Mike Harden to Isaiah Box from three would find the net with 15:37 left. The game would continue with both teams on even footing as the score sat tied at 56-56 with 9:07 left. Dalton State would break away from the stalemate with a 9-2 run for their first big lead of 8 at 68-60 with 6:31 left. The run would prove to be the spark for the Roadrunners to find their stride as they would continue to light up the court and grow their lead to 13 points at 82-69 with 1:28 left. Dalton State would hit their shots from the charity stripe and go on to defeat William Carey 90-80 and claim the conference championship.

THE REST OF THE STORY
Dalton State improves to 27-4 for the season and claims their first SSAC Tournament Championship. The Roadrunners previously had already claimed the second conference bid for a trip to the NAIA Division I National Championship. Dalton State was led in scoring by Sayvon Wilson with 22 points. Isaiah Box dropped 6 bombs from three for 20 points, and Carnilious Simmons gave the Roadrunners an edge in the paint with 19 points. Mike Harden was the fourth Roadrunner in double-figures with 14 points.

William Carey drops to 24-7 for the season, and will continue on to the NAIA Division I National Championship with the first conference bid as the SSAC Regular Season Champion. The Crusaders were led by Jaylen Moore with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Ashton Woodson and Quinton Williams each scored 11 points respectively. Terrance Mujahid was the fourth Crusader in double-figures with 10 points.

The Roadrunner season will continue as the team travels to Kansas City for the NAIA Division I National Tournament starting on March 15th. The National Championship qualifiers and bracket will be officially announced on March 8 at 6 p.m. (CST) via a live selection show on NAIA.org.