HAMPTON, Va. – Junior center Tiyonda Davis and junior guard Kenyata Hendrix led the Savannah State University women's basketball team with 12 points and six rebounds each as the Lady Tigers (5-12, 2-4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) fell to league leading Hampton University (7-12, 5-1 MEAC) 65-53 Saturday in HU Convocation Center.
 
Over the last two games, Hendrix is averaging 19.5 points per game on 14-for-33 (.424) shooting, including shooting 6-for-15 (.400) from the 3-point line with 4.5 rebounds.  The 12 points moves the Carrollton, Ga., native from an eighth-place tie to being in eighth place solo in school history in the Division I era with 724 career points and needs 24 points to move into seventh place.
 
Davis shot 5-for-6 from the field, which gives her 262 made field goals in her career, which moves her into seventh place in school history.  The six rebounds gives her 597 career rebounds and needs 11 rebounds to move into second place in school history.
 
Junior forward Jeremica Edwards led the team with nine rebounds and added seven points, while junior guard Rhianna Warren added nine points and three rebounds.  Warren is averaging 12.0 points per game in her last two games. 
 
The Lady Tigers scored four of the first six points to start the game for a two-point lead, 4-2, with 7:58 remaining in the first quarter after two baskets by sophomore guard Kilah Nixon.  The Lady Pirates scored eight of the next nine points to capture a five-point lead, 10-5, with 3:55 remaining in the quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored the next six points to take a point lead, 11-10, with 1:07 left.  HU scored five of the final six points to take a three-point lead, 15-12, after one quarter of play.  Nixon led SSU with four points on 2-for-2 shooting, while Edwards led the team with three rebounds after one quarter of play.
 
After a Hampton made free throw to start the second quarter to give the Lady Pirates a four-point lead, 16-12, with 9:49 remaining in the quarter, the Lady Tigers scored the next five points to take a point lead, 17-16, at the 6:37 mark.  Hampton scored the next five points to take a four-point lead, 21-17, with 4:12 left, but the Lady Tigers scored the next three points to close within a point, 21-20, with 2:31 remaining.  The Lady Pirates scored six of the final eight points to take a five-point lead, 27-22, into the locker room.  Davis led SSU with six points, while Edwards added four rebounds during the second quarter.
 
An Edwards' layup to begin the third quarter cut the Lady Pirates lead to three, 27-24, with 9:27 remaining in the quarter, but HU scored the next eight points to take an 11-point lead, 35-24, at the 7:24 mark.  The Lady Tigers scored the next five points to cut HU's lead to six points, 35-29, with 6:44 left, but the Lady Pirates scored the 10 of the next 14 points to push their lead to 12 points, 45-33, with 2:12 remaining.  The Lady Tigers scored the final four points to cut Hampton's lead to eight, 45-37, after three quarters.  Warren led SSU with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting during the quarter.
 
The Lady Pirates opened the final quarter scoring 16 of the next 21 points to increase their lead to 19, 61-42, with 5:16 remaining in the quarter.  The Lady Tigers outscored HU 11-4 during the rest of the final quarter to cut the final deficit to 12 points.
 
The Lady Pirates were led by Malia Tate-DeFreitas with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Kaylah Lupoe and K'lynn Willis each added 12 points.
 
The Lady Tigers stay in Virginia to face Norfolk State (0-17, 0-7 MEAC) Monday at 6 p.m. in Norfolk to continue their four-game roadstand.
 
Newspaper Box Score
Savannah State vs Hampton
1/23/16 4:00 pm at Hampton, Va. (HU Convocation Center)
At Hampton, Va. (HU Convocation Center)
HAMPTON 65, SAVANNAH STATE 53
SAVANNAH STATE (5-12 | 2-4 MEAC)
DAVIS,Tiyonda 5-6 2-4 12; HENDRIX,Kenyata 5-17 1-6 12; WARREN,Rhianna 4-13
1-1 9; EDWARDS,Jeremica 2-5 3-8 7; YOUNG,Jada 1-3 2-2 4; NIXON,Kilah 2-2 0-0
4; FIELDS,Lauryn 1-6 1-2 3; RICHARDSON,Tanease 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 20-52 12-25
53.
HAMPTON (7-12 | 5-1 MEAC)
TATE-DeFREITAS,Malia 6-11 3-4 16; LUPOE,Kaylah 6-10 0-3 12; WILLIS,K'lynn
5-14 1-3 12; ROSE,Kristine 4-8 0-0 9; JAMES,Dejane' 3-9 0-0 7; SAYLE,Mikayla
2-3 1-1 5; GILBEAUX,Georgianna 1-7 0-0 2; DAVIS,Areana 0-3 2-2 2;
GREEN,Chanel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-65 7-13 65.
Savannah State................   12   10   15   16  -   53
Hampton.......................   15   12   20   18  -   65
3-point goals--Savannah State 1-9 (HENDRIX,Kenyata 1-5; WARREN,Rhianna 0-3;
FIELDS,Lauryn 0-1), Hampton 4-18 (JAMES,Dejane' 1-7; ROSE,Kristine 1-1;
TATE-DeFREITAS,Malia 1-3; WILLIS,K'lynn 1-6; DAVIS,Areana 0-1). Fouled
out--Savannah State-None, Hampton-ROSE,Kristine. Rebounds--Savannah State 36
(EDWARDS,Jeremica 9), Hampton 45 (TATE-DeFREITAS,Malia 13).
Assists--Savannah State 5 (YOUNG,Jada 2), Hampton 13 (TATE-DeFREITAS,Malia
7). Total fouls--Savannah State 13, Hampton 22. Technical fouls--Savannah
State-None, Hampton-None. A-1323
 
 
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