NO. 8 SAVANNAH STATE VS. NO. 9 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE

GAME TIME: Tuesday,  March 7, 2016 – noon
LOCATION:  Norfolk, Va. | Scope Arena
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TELEVISION: N/A
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SAVANNAH, Ga. – No. 8 seed, Savannah State University women's basketball team (10-17, 7-9 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) enters the MEAC Tournament against No. 9 South Carolina State (11-15, 7-9 MEAC) in the first round Tuesday at noon in Norfolk, Va.
 
The Lady Tigers are 5-3 in the MEAC Tournament, including a 5-1 record in the last six games winning the tournament last season for the first MEAC Championship.
 
The two schools split the regular season series with each team winning on their home court.  SCSU defeated the Lady Tigers 56-43 in Orangeburg, S.C., on Feb. 13, but SSU won the rematch in Tiger Arena 62-39 on Feb. 27.  Junior guard Kenyata Hendrix led SSU with 11.5 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in two games against SCSU, while junior forward Jeremica Edwards is averaging 10.5 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.  Junior center Tiyonda Davis is averaging 13.0 rebounds per game and 6.5 points per game.   
 
For the Lady Bulldogs, Ashleigh Outler led the team with 8.0 points in two games against SSU, while Amber Howard, Jasmine Coleman and Brittany Drumgoole each averaged 7.0 points per game, while Coleman averages 10.0 rebounds per game. 
 
During the regular season, the Lady Tigers shot 37.0 (546-for-1476) percent from the floor, including shooting 30.6 (115-for-376) from the 3-point line.  SSU is averaging 52.9 points per game, 37.6 rebounds per game and have recorded 274 assists, 117 blocked shots and 230 steals.
 
SSU is holding opponents to a .358 field goal percentage, which ranks first in the MEAC and 25^th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, ranks third in the MEAC averaging 4.3 blocks per game, which ranks 69^th in the NCAA and ranks fourth in the MEAC with 117 blocks, which ranks 99^th in the NCAA.
 
The Lady Tigers also ranks 76^th in the NCAA in holding opponents to a 59.1 points per game scoring average, which ranks fourth in the MEAC and 99^th in the NCAA in turnovers forced with 17.33, which ranks sixth in the MEAC.
 
Junior guard Kenyata Hendrix leads the team with 12.7 points per game, which ranks eight in the MEAC.  Over the last 12 games, Hendrix is averaging 15.6 points per game on 66-for-166 (.398) shooting, including shooting 34-for-85 (.400) from the 3-point line, while averaging 4.0 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game.
 
The Carrollton, Ga., native has made 309 career field goals, which ranks her in seventh place in school history in the Division I era and needs 12 made field goals to move into sixth place.  Hendrix ranks second in school history with 140 made 3-pointers in her career and needs 14 made 3-point field goals to move into first place and ranks first with 59 3-pointers made in a single season.  Hendrix also ranks sixth in school history with 872 career points and needs 70 points to move into fifth place.
 
Junior center Tiyonda Davis leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game, which ranks fifth in the MEAC and with 2.70 blocks per game, which ranks third in the MEAC and 23^rd in the NCAA.  Davis has recorded 73 blocks, which ranks third in the conference and 28^th in the NCAA and is averaging 6.5 points per game.
 
The Athens, Ga., already holds the school record in rebounds with 708 career boards and ranks second in blocked shots with 193 career blocks and needs 31 blocked shots to move into first place.  The 73 blocks this season, ranks tied for second most in school history in a single season and needs 19 blocked shots to move into first place.
 
Davis also ranks tied for eighth in made field goals with 295 and needs 12 points to crack into the top-10 in scoring.  Davis has recorded 665 career points.
 
Over the last 14 games, Davis is averaging 8.6 points per game on 52-for-90 (.578) shooting with 10.4 rebounds per game and 3.1 blocks per game. 
 
Edwards averages 7.0 points per game on 77-for-166 (.464) shooting from the floor, which ranks ninth in the conference and averages 5.2 rebounds per game, while junior guard Rhianna Warren adds 6.5 points per game on 60-for-182 (.330) from the floor, including 25-for-83 (.301) from the 3-point line with 2.9 rebounds per game.
 
In conference play, Hendrix is leading the team with 14.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the MEAC and averaging 3.9 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game, while Davis is leading the team with 9.9 rebounds per game, which leads the MEAC, and with 2.9 blocks per game, which ranks third in the conference and is averaging 7.8 points per game on 54-for-96 (.563) shooting, which ranks second in the conference.
 
The last time out, the Lady Tigers defeated Florida A&M 65-46 in the final home game of the season.  Hendrix led the team with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor, including 5-for-7 from the 3-point line with three rebounds and three assists, while Warren added 10 points, six rebounds and three steals and Davis added six rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
 
The Lady Bulldogs are 2-3 in the last five games with wins over Savannah State (56-43) and Howard (65-63) and loses to Maryland Eastern Shore (61-55), Savannah State (62-39) and Bethune-Cookman (64-46).  SCSU is led by Drumgoole with 9.1 points per game and averages 3.5 rebounds per game, while Howard is averaging 8.5 points per game and Coleman averages 7.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.
 
As a team, the Lady Bulldogs are shooting 523-for-1520 (.344) overall and 125-for-422 (.296) from the 3-point line and is averaging 55.9 points per game and 38.5 rebounds per game with 269 assists, 100 blocks and 223 steals.
 
If the Lady Tigers defeat the Lady Bulldogs, SSU faces No. 1 seed Bethune-Cookman Wednesday at noon.

Savannah State Game Notes: Click Here
Savannah State Schedule/Results: Click Here
Savannah State Quick Facts: Click Here
 
OPPONENT:
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
Season Stats: Click Here
Schedule: Click Here
Roster: Click Here
 
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