Skip To Main Content

Savannah State University Athletics

Scoreboard

Schedule

All Events
1

Women's Basketball

Game Central Women's Basketball: SSU vs. South Carolina (NCAA Tournament)

2015 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Tournament
Greensboro Region | Round One
No. 16 SAVANNAH STATE vs. No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA
 
GAME TIME: Friday, March 20, 2015 – 5 p.m.
LOCATION:  Columbia, S.C.  |  Colonial Life Arena
LIVE STATS LINK: Click Here
LIVE VIDEO LINK: ESPN3 Click Here | ESPN2 (Carolyn Peck, Pam Ward)
RADIO: Click Here | WHCJ (Savannah) 90.3 FM (Toby Hyde, Curtis Foster)
HASHTAG: #HailSSU
TIGERS ON TWITTER (Live Updates): @savstatetigers
TIGERS ON INSTAGRAM: savstatetigers
TIGERS ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/SSUAthletics
SMS TEXT SERVICE: Click Here
TICKETS: Click Here
FULL BRACKET: Click Here


GAME NOTES:
  • No. 16 Savannah State earned the program's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title, and NCAA Tournament berth with a 65-47 rout of Maryland Eastern Shore last Saturday.
  • They will represent SSU basketball for the first time in the NCAA Division I Tournament since the school elevated from Division II in the 2002-03 season.
  • The Lady Tigers are the second team to win a MEAC Title for SSU. The 2013 baseball squad earned the school's first conference title since joining the MEAC in 2011-12.
  • On their historic run to the dance, the Lady Tigers won 17 of their last 19 games, and are on a program-high (since 1981) 11-game winning streak. 
  • This will be the 8th meeting with South Carolina. SSU is winless against the Gamecocks, and in their last meeting, on December 14, South Carolina handed the Lady Tigers their worst loss of the season, 49-111. However, during South Carolina's 23-0 win streak that opened the 2014-15 season, the Lady Tigers put up more points on the Gamecocks than Clemson (44-99), San Diego State (38-89), Wisconsin (44-67), Central Michigan (49-69) and Florida (49-60).
  • The Lady Tigers are averaging 64.1 points a game as a team, and are outscoring opponents by a 4.1 margin. They are nationally ranked 4th in steals per game, averaging 11.9 per outing.

TEAM NOTABLES:

History Makers
This year's Lady Tigers have made history with the program's first MEAC Title, and NCAA Tournament berth, the best Division I overall record (21-10) since elevating from Division II in 2002-03, and the best regular season MEAC record (13-3) since joining the conference in the 2011-12 season. They earned the highest seed (No.2) in the MEAC Tournament in program history, into their fourth year of competition within the conference. The 2014-15 Lady Tigers are only the second team to win a MEAC Title at SSU. SSU baseball won the school's first MEAC Title in 2013.

Setting The Bar
Ezinne Kalu is the first women's basketball player in Savannah State Division I history to reach the 1,000 career points, and the first basketball player to reach 2,000 career points. She has led the Lady Tigers in scoring all four years she has played. (Her junior season was cut short with an injury). Kalu scored her 1,000th point in a 55-70 loss to Mississippi State University on November 28, 2012. She recorded her 2,000th career point in a 70-59 win over Howard University on February 21, 2015. Kalu leads the MEAC and is ranked 7th nationally in steals, averaging 3.2 a game. Nationally, she is 104th in points per game.  Among active players, she is the third highest NCAA Division I women's basketball scorer; trumped only by Rachel Banham of Minnesota, and Damika Martinze of Iona. Kalu leads all active players in NCAA Division I women's basketball in career steals (380).

Coach of the Year
Head coach Cedric Baker was named the 2014-15 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year for women's basketball. He is the third Savannah State coach to receive the award, since the school joined the conference in 2011-12. In his 12th season at SSU, Baker coached a 2014-15 Savannah State team to its second consecutive winning season, ending the regular season campaign with an 18-10 overall mark and the program's best MEAC record, 13-3. Under Baker, they've earned wins over Florida, Hampton, The University of Texas San Antonio, Troy, Charleston Southern, Longwood, East Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Georgia Southern, Tennessee St., and Mercer. In the 2013-14 season, Baker eclipsed 300 career wins and broke 100 Savannah State NCAA Division I wins.
 
Savannah State Game Notes: Click Here
Savannah State Roster: Click Here
Savannah State Season Stats: Click Here
Savannah State Schedule/Results: Click Here
Savannah State Quick Facts: Click Here
Savannah State Preseason Prospectus: Click Here
NCAA WBB Division I Statistics: Click Here
NCAA WBB Division I AP/USA Today Top 25: Click Here
 

THE OPPONENT:
SOUTH CAROLINA
Season Stats: Click Here
Schedule: Click Here
Roster: Click Here
 


TICKET INFORMATION:
NCAA Tournament booklets are on sale now for $36.00 for general admission seating. To order your NCAA Tournament booklet, call 1-800-4SC-FANS, visit the Colonial Life Arena box office during regular business hours or buy online.
Single game tickets go on sale beginning Tuesday, March 17, at 10 a.m. and can be purchased here. Round one tickets are $17.50 plus fees for adults and round two tickets are $20.00 plus fees for adults. Youth (17 & under) are $2.00 plus fees for both rounds.
The winner of the Columbia first- and second-round games will advance to the Greensboro Regional on March 27 and 29. Tickets for that regional site can be purchased by clicking here.
Ticket information for the Women's Final Four in Tampa on April 5 and 7 can be found by clicking here.
Ticket Prices: 
 
 AdultsStudents
All Session: $45.00/$36.00N/A
   
Single Session: $20.00/$17.50$5.00/$2.00
                               
There are both reserved and general admission all session tickets available with the reserved price listed first above. The single session adult pricing reflects the prices for session 1 ($20.00) and session 2 ($17.50). The single session student pricing reflects the prices for session 1 ($5.00) and session 2 ($2.00). 
 
 
Disabled Seating Access:
 
Handicap accessible seating is available at various locations throughout the Colonial Life Arena with most being located at the top of the lower bowl directly off the concourse. Handicap seating is available for the guest with a disability and one guest.. There are no handicap  seats located on the floor.






 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Ezinne Kalu

#23 Ezinne Kalu

G
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Ezinne Kalu

#23 Ezinne Kalu

5' 8"
Senior
G