Stillman Men’s Basketball Team Clinches Western Division
Stillman Men's Basketball Team Clinches Western Division
With a record of 13-1, the Stillman College Men's Basketball team continues to make noise in Tuscaloosa. They've now officially clinched the SSAC Western Division.
I've been to almost all of the Stillman home games this season and I can truly say this team is special. The weapons they have both on the starting lineup and the bench are amazing. They're able to hit a number of 3 pointers and decrease any lead from the opposing team. The games aren't missing any excitement either. You'll definitely see dunking throughout the game. doesn't matter if it's the first half or second half of the game. In a press release, Head Coach John Teasley said, "It's always an honor to win the conference, especially in this league. There are so many good teams and so many great coaches in the SSAC. To be able to win the conference shows the hard work the guys are putting in."
Press Release
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Stillman College men's basketball has clinched the Southern States Athletic Conference West Division Championship, the SSAC announced Feb. 16.This is Stillman's second Southern States Athletic Conference title, winning the regular season in 2018-19 and the West Division this year. The TIgers also claimed the NAIA Division II Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) title in 2017-18 after winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA DII) title in 2016.
The announcement follows the cancelation of both Stillman College and Loyola University's basketball games scheduled for Feb. 16. As a result, Stillman (13-1, 11-1 SSAC West) locked up the conference divisional title with two games remaining when it defeated Blue Mountain College, 80-78, Feb. 13. No. 16 Loyola (11-3, 5-3 SSAC West) is second in the West and unable to catch the Tigers. Stillman and Loyola will meet in a pair of NAIA Top 20 battles this Friday and Saturday in Birthright Alumni Hall to close the regular season.
"It's always an honor to win the conference, especially in this league. There are so many good teams and so many great coaches in the SSAC. To be able to win the conference shows the hard work the guys are putting in," said Stillman College Head Coach John Teasley. "We're happy, but our main goal is to win each game, and we still have two left before the conference tournament. We still have a lot of work to do and hopefully these guys can stay focused and stay healthy and be successful."
The road to the SSAC West title included a four-game sweep of William Carey University, four wins over Blue Mountain College, a 2-0 mark against the University of Mobile and a 1-1 record on the road in New Orleans against Loyola. Loyola went 1-2 against William Carey to currently sit in second place.
Stillman College will be the No. 1 seed from the West in the SSAC Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, Feb. 24-27, at the Cramton Bowl. Stillman's first game will be Thursday, Feb. 25 at 2:15 p.m. against the No. 4 team in the East or Blue Mountain, which finishes No. 5 in the West. The remainder of the SSAC bracket will be announced following this week's games.