Women's Basketball 1/10/2015 9:47:00 PM

Women’s Basketball Earns First MEAC Win

Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Not only did the Lady Tigers garner their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) win of the season on Saturday, but they beat North Carolina A&T State for the first time since joining the conference in the 2011-12 season, and 12^th year head coach Cedric Baker earned his first coaching win against the Aggies.

SSU edged by N.C. A&T State – who were picked in a preseason poll to win the MEAC – 59-56 after some intense play down the stretch.

With 5:47 to play in the second period, SSU held a 6-point (52-46) advantage over NCAT. Adrianna Nazario and Debbie Smith drained field goals to cut the Lady Tigers lead to two points.

Jasmine Norman answered with a layup, but April McRae fired back with some strong work in the paint and a good field goal that kept the Aggies in the game. Norman finished the night with 15 points.

Christine Carter drained two free-throws with 2:56 on the clock to knot the game up at 54 all. Norman drained another basket, which the Aggies answered 30 seconds later. MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Ezinne Kalu hit a good free-throw with 2:01 on the clock to lift SSU to a 57-56 lead.

After an Aggie turnover, Tiyonda Davis finished a layup to extend SSU's lead to the final score with 1:16 to play. Behind pressure from the Lady Tigers, the Aggies missed four costly shots in the final minute, sealing the win for SSU.

Davis tied her season-high record and led all scorers with 16 points. She recorded seven rebounds and shot 66.7 percent from the floor on the night.

Kalu finished in double-digits (12 points) for the 12th time this year. She continues to lead the Lady Tigers with 17.3 points per game. SSU point guard Bria Dorsey led the field in rebounds, corralling a season-high 12. She tacked on seven points of her own in the scoring stats.

In the 10^th meeting of the programs, SSU came out firing. The Lady Tigers opened a 10-1 run in the first five minutes of the contest that included six points from Davis.

Fast starts have been a key to SSU's success this season. In their 68-58 victory over Florida in early December, SSU opened the game with a 15-5 run.

After the big run, NCAT began to fight their way back into the game behind a 7-2 run that cut SSU's lead to 12-8 with 12:59 on the clock. The Lady Tigers continued to answer the Aggies offensively keeping at least a five-point advantage in the subsequent 10 minutes.

NCAT began a late push, finding success off a full-court press. Michelle Fitzgerald hit a 3-pointer with 2:33 to play in the half to cut the Lady Tigers' lead to 23-21. The Aggies did not shoot the long ball well in the first half, hitting only two of their 11 attempts.

Kalu drained two free-throws with 41 seconds to play in the half, but Smith hit the team's second 3-pointer with two seconds to play, cutting the Lady Tigers' lead to 25-24 into the locker room.

SSU is now 5-2 on the season when leading at the half, and 6-0 when leading with three minutes left in the game.

The Aggies opened the second period with a 6-2 run behind two good 3-pointers from Dana Brown for their first lead of the game.

Down, 29-32, SSU went to work offensively. Kalu, Dorsey and Norman opened a 9-0 run on the Aggies to regain the lead for SSU.

With 12:50 to play, a layup from Kalu capped the run and gave the Lady Tigers a 38-32 lead. After the run, SSU maintained at least a three point advantage until the final stretch of the game.

The Lady Tigers improve to 6-8 on the season and 1-1 in MEAC play. The Aggies fall to 8-8 and 1-2 in conference.

Savannah State continues the four game, MEAC road swing against North Carolina Central on Monday. Tip-off in Durham is set for 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Bria Dorsey: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#4 Jasmine Norman: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#23 Ezinne Kalu: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#44 Tiyonda Davis: C; 6' 2"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#1 Bria Dorsey
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#4 Jasmine Norman
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#23 Ezinne Kalu
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#44 Tiyonda Davis
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: C