Women's Basketball 11/24/2013 10:53:00 AM

Women’s Basketball Falls To Northwestern State

Box Score

WACO, Tex. – After a neck-and-neck battle in the opening half, Northwestern State emerged with a 77-56 win over the Savannah State Lady Tigers in both teams closing game of the Athletics In Action Classic, in Waco, Texas on Saturday.

The Lady Tigers had three players in double-digits in only their second loss of the 2013-14 campaign. Jasmine Kirkland led the group with 15 points, going 7-for-10 from the floor.

SSU's Ezinne Kalu went 5-for-18 from the floor and 3-for-6 from behind the arch for 14 points. Jasmine Norman added 11 points, hitting 5-of-9 field goal attempts.

The Lady Demons' Trudy Armstead led the field with 26 points, while Chelsea Rogers registered a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Savannah State falls to 3-2 overall this season after garnering a big win for the program on Friday, with a 51-50 upset over Texas San Antonio. They finish the Classic with a 1-3 mark.

In the opening minutes of Saturday's game, Armstead lifted the Demons to a 5-3 lead with a 3-pointer and a minute later drained two free-throws for a four point lead.

Savannah State answered the run with baskets from Kalu and Norman, knotting the score up at seven with 16:12 on the clock.
Midway through the first period, Kourtney Pennywell tied the game up for the fourth time, at 15 all, with a layup in the paint.

The Lady Tigers then broke the close battle with a 9-2 run sparked by a 3-pointer from Kalu. Freshman Kenyata Hendrix drained a free-throw with 5:29 to play, lifting SSU to their largest lead of the game, 27-18.

The Lady Demons fired back after the big SSU run. With 1:04 to play in the opening half, Armstead sank a layup to cut SSU's lead to three points, 30-27.

In the final minute, the Lady Demons sank three free-throws to tie the game for the fifth time, at 30 all. The score held into the locker room.

SSU scored 20 of their first half points in the paint, while Northwestern State was more successful on second chances, scoring 12 of their points on second opportunities.

SSU shot 35.1 percent from the floor in the half, while the Lady Demons held a 30 percent clip. The Lady Demons burned SSU at the charity strip, hitting 11-of-16 attempts for a 68.8 percent clip.

Four minutes into the second period, Robin Richardson tied the game for the sixth time, 35 all, with a layup in the paint. SSU took their final lead of the game a few seconds later behind a jump shot from Kirkland for a 37-36 advantage.

Keisha Lee sank two-free throws with 15:39 to play, lifting the Lady Demons to a 38-37 lead. Northwestern State would not relinquish the advantage for the final 15 minutes of the game.

The Lady Demons opened a 7-0 run in the next minute and a half for a 46-39 lead, prompting SSU to take a timeout.

In the subsequent minutes, Kirkland led the Lady Tigers in a 5-0 run, sinking two layups in the paint and a free-throw to cut Northwestern State's lead to 46-44 with 12:58 to play.

Despite keeping the score close, SSU begin to falter on defense as the Lady Demons pushed out to their first double-digit lead, 10 points, at the 8:57 mark with a good free-throw from Pennywell.

Savannah State managed only five points in the final eight minutes of the contest as the Lady Demons extended the double-digit lead to 21 points for the final score.

Northwestern State improved their shooting clip in the second half, hitting 16-of-32 attempts for a 50 percent clip, while SSU dropped to 30.3 percent in the second half, and shot a 32.9 percent overall from the floor. The Lady Demons finished with a 40.3 percent rate from the field and 61.1 percent from the charity strip.

SSU continues a 10-game road stretch with the first of two Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponents this year. The Lady Tigers play Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, Tuesday, November 26. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. (CST).

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