DURHAM, N.C. – In a game where neither team had a lead of more than six points, the Savannah State University women's basketball team (9-17, 6-9 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) narrowly fell to North Carolina Central University (5-21, 3-12 MEAC) 65-61 in the final regular season road game of the season in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Junior forward Jeremica Edwards led SSU with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting and added six rebounds and three steals, while junior guard Rhianna Warren added 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line.
 
Junior center Tiyonda Davis led SSU with 10 rebounds and added nine points, while junior guard Kenyata Hendrix added eight points and seven rebounds.
 
The Lady Eagles shot 52.0 (13-for-25) from the floor in the first half, but shot 34.4 (11-for-32) in the second half for a total of 42.1 (24-for-57) in the game, while the Lady Tigers shot 33.3 (11-for-33) from the floor in the first half and 45.8 (11-for-24) in the second half for a total of 38.6 (22-for-57) in the game.
 
The Lady Eagles scored six of the first 10 points to take a two-point lead, 6-4, with 6:28 remaining in the first quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored eight of the next 10 points to capture a four-point lead, 12-8, with 3:43 left.  NCCU scored seven of the next 10 points to take a point lead, 16-15, with 26 remaining, but a Warren jumper and a made free throw by Warren gave SSU a two-point lead, 18-16, after the first quarter.  Warren led SSU with six points, while Lauryn Fields added five points during the opening quarter.
 
The Lady Eagles scored the first four points of the second quarter to take a two-point lead, 20-18, at the 7:06 mark in the quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored the next six points to take a four-point lead, 24-20, with 5:47 remaining.  NCCU scored the next three points to pull within a point, 24-23, but SSU scored the next five points to take a game-high six-point lead, 29-23, with 3:24 left.  The Lady Eagles scored eight of the final 10 points in the quarter to tie the game at 31 heading into the locker rooms.
 
An Edwards layup gave the Lady Tigers a two-point lead, 33-31, with 9:13 remaining, but the Lady Eagles scored the next five points to take a three-point lead, 36-33, at the 6:38 mark.  SSU scored the next five points to take a two-point lead, 38-36, with 5:50 left, but NCCU scored the next seven points to take a four-point lead, 43-39, with 2:48 remaining.  SSU outscored NCCU 7-6 during the rest of the quarter to cut the lead to three points, 49-46, after three quarters.
 
A Davis layup to begin the final quarter, cut the lead to a point, 49-48, with 8:36 remaining in the quarter, but NCCU scored the next five points to take a six-point lead, 54-48, at the 6:53 mark.  The Lady Tigers scored nine of the next 14 points to close the lead to two-points, 59-57, with 2:12 left. The two teams traded points to keep the Lady Eagle to two points, 63-61, with 10 seconds left, but two made free throws by NCCU gave them the four point win.
 
The Lady Tigers return home for the final regular season game of the season against Florida A&M Thursday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Arena.
 
Newspaper Box Score
Savannah State vs N.C. Central
02/29/16 5:30 p.m. at Durham, N.C. (McDougald-McLendon Arena)
At Durham, N.C. (McDougald-McLendon Arena)
N.C. CENTRAL 65, SAVANNAH STATE 61
SAVANNAH STATE (9-17, 6-9)
EDWARDS,Jeremica 7-10 0-0 14; WARREN,Rhianna 5-9 1-2 13; DAVIS,Tiyonda 3-7
3-6 9; HENDRIX,Kenyata 3-9 0-2 8; FIELDS,Lauryn 2-10 1-2 6;
TREADWELL,Caprisha 2-5 1-1 5; SHAW,Taylor-Ashley 1-3 1-2 3; YOUNG,Jada 1-3
1-2 3; BROWN,Deyja 0-1 0-0 0; RICHARDSON,Tanease 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-57
8-17 61.
N.C. CENTRAL (5-21, 3-12)
DIXON,Tisha 5-10 9-14 19; ADAMS,Dominique 3-9 2-2 10; MORTON,Kierona 5-9 0-0
10; JONES,Morgan 2-8 5-6 10; THOMAS,Chantal 3-7 2-2 8; MCCAIN,Deja 2-5 0-0
4; WHALEY-BRIGGS,Moniqu 1-5 0-0 2; CALHOUN,Jayla 1-3 0-0 2; MARTIN,Rodneysha
0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-57 18-24 65.
Savannah State................   18   13   15   15  -   61
N.C. Central..................   16   15   18   16  -   65
3-point goals--Savannah State 5-14 (HENDRIX,Kenyata 2-6; WARREN,Rhianna 2-3;
FIELDS,Lauryn 1-3; YOUNG,Jada 0-1; BROWN,Deyja 0-1), N.C. Central 3-10
(ADAMS,Dominique 2-4; JONES,Morgan 1-5; CALHOUN,Jayla 0-1). Fouled
out--Savannah State-None, N.C. Central-None. Rebounds--Savannah State 33
(DAVIS,Tiyonda 10), N.C. Central 43 (DIXON,Tisha 11). Assists--Savannah
State 12 (FIELDS,Lauryn 4), N.C. Central 14 (THOMAS,Chantal 7). Total
fouls--Savannah State 18, N.C. Central 15. Technical fouls--Savannah
State-None, N.C. Central-None. A-678
 
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