updated 11:35 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2005

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The coach stood limply in front of the bench — arms folded, a disbelieving look in his eyes.

One of his players sat dejectedly on the court — staring at his feet, not wanting to look up at the all-too-familiar scoreboard.

Savannah State seemed overwhelmed by the finality of it all.

Yep, the Tigers went 0-for-the-season. They finished 0-28 by losing to Florida A&M 49-44 on Monday night.

“It’s unbelievable,” senior Sherard Reddick said. “I don’t believe it.”

Savannah State became just the second NCAA Division I school in a half-century to go through an entire season without a win.

At least the Tigers didn’t go down without a fight, managing their closest loss of the season. They tied it at 41 with 1:57 remaining when Donald Carson — son of former New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson — hit two free throws.

But Michael Harper put Florida A&M (9-13) ahead for good just 12 seconds later with two free throws. Mark Williams hit a long 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining to pull Savannah State to 45-44, but Tony Tate clinched it at the free throw line for the Rattlers. He made six straight in the final 24 seconds and led all scorers with 23 points.

Reddick scored 12 points to pace Savannah State, which kept it close despite shooting just 22.6 percent (14-of-62) from the field.

“It doesn’t feel like we lost 28 games this season,” Reddick said. “I guess God is testing us.”

Savannah State also had a chance to lead at halftime for the first time all season. But Michael Ayodele hit a 3 with 8 seconds remaining in the period, putting Florida A&M ahead 28-26.

“Two points is real good,” said Chris White, a 19-year-old student who was among the crowd of 1,357. “Usually by halftime, we’re losing by 20 points. I actually might watch the rest of the game instead of just talking to my friends.”

Indeed, the crowd was on its feet in the frantic final seconds. But in the end, it was still a loss.

“Basically,” White said, “they’re out of their league.”

The Rattlers were clearly relieved to get out of Savannah with a win. During one of the final timeouts, Darius Glover tried to calm his teammates. “Come on, guys. Relax. Relax.”

When Carson shot an airball on a desperation 3-pointer that could have forced overtime, Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie walked in front of the bench and said defiantly, “We won the ... game.”

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