Women's Basketball 2/14/2015 8:37:00 PM

Kalu Leads Women’s Basketball To 8th Conference Win

Box Score

SAVANNAH, Ga. – For the 20^th time this season Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Player of the Year Ezinne Kalu finished a game in double-digits, pouring in 23 points to lead Savannah State past S.C. State 61-53 in their 8^th MEAC win of the waning season.

The Lady Tigers continued their dominate home record on Saturday. Over the last two years, SSU has a 17-5 record in Tiger Arena. With the win they improve to 7-3 on home court this season, 13-10 overall and 8-3 in the conference.

Kalu has now followed her worst outing of the season – an eight point effort vs. Morgan State – with back-to-back 20 plus point games. Against Coppin State, Kalu racked up 27 points.

Savannah State came out on fire against the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, opening with a 10-0 run in the first four minutes. Some stellar SSU defense kept S.C. State from a single field goal for the first five minutes.

Midway through the opening half Savannah State took their largest lead of the period behind a layup from Kalu. With 9:32 to play, SSU led 19-5.

The tenacious Lady Bulldogs, however, stayed with the Lady Tigers down the stretch. Late in the first half they opened a 6-0 run to cut SSU's lead to 23-19 with 2:13 to play.

SSU starting freshman Shanikwa Buie squashed the run with a layup, and sophomore Kenyata Hendrix added her own layup in the final seconds to send SSU to the locker room with a 27-19 advantage.

The Lady Tigers are now 10-2 on the season when leading at the half. Kalu finished the first half with 11 points, going 5-for-10 from the field.

The lopsided first half turned into a back-and-forth in the opening minutes of the second period as teams traded point for point in the first four minutes. Ashleigh Outler drained a three for S.C. State cutting SSU's lead to 35-29 with 15:17 on the clock.

Outler poured in 11 on the night and was one of three Lady Bulldogs in double-digits. Kourtney Williams led the team with 19 and Jasmine Coleman earned the only double-double of the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

SSU responded to the S.C. State surge with a strong press that forced several turnovers and opened the door for an 8-0 run. With 11:25 to play, senior Bria Dorsey drained a jump shot for SSU's largest lead of the game, 45-30.

S.C. State stuck around though. Following Dorsey's basket they opened a 9-0 run to skim SSU's lead down to 45-39 with 8:06 to play. SSU cut the Lady Bulldogs offensive burst with an old-fashioned 3-point play from Kalu.

Jasmine Norman drained two good free-throws with 4:29 to play to open a 7-2 run for the Lady Tigers that lifted them back to a double-digit lead. Hendrix drained a free-throw with 2:09 to play, giving SSU a 57-46 advantage.

S.C. State was unable to overcome the late surge from SSU recording their 10^th loss of the season. They fall to 6-6 in the MEAC and 13-10 overall.

Kalu led the field with her 23 points. Tiyonda Davis followed in the Lady Tiger stats with nine points. This was the first win for SSU this season with only one player in double-digit scoring.

Savannah State continues the season with two important MEAC home games. They face Howard on Feb. 21 and Florida A&M on Feb. 23 in the first two of the last six games of the regular season.

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Players Mentioned

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

#2 Kenyata Hendrix: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

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

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

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

#15 Shanikwa Buie: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#2 Kenyata Hendrix
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

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

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

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

#15 Shanikwa Buie
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F