NORFOLK, Va. – No. 8 seed Savannah State University women's basketball team (10-18, 7-9 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) fell to No. 9 South Carolina State (12-15, 7-9 MEAC) 61-53 in overtime in the first round Tuesday.
 
Junior center Tiyonda Davis recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds and added two blocks and two steals, while junior guard Kenyata Hendrix and junior guard Rhianna Warren each added 11 points.  Hendrix added three rebounds, while Warren shot 4-for-8 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point line.
 
South Carolina State scored nine of the first 11 points to take a 9-2 lead with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored seven of the next 10 points to cut the lead to three, 12-9, at the 4:41 mark.  SCSU pushed its lead to seven, 16-9, by scoring the next four points, but a Warren 3-pointer with 43 seconds of the quarter cut the lead to four points, 16-12, after the first quarter.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Warren and Hendrix tied the game at 18 with 7:53 remaining in the second quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs scored eight of the next 11 points to take a five-point lead, 26-21, with 5:09 left.  With both teams scoring four points each to keep the margin at five, 30-25, at the 1:21 mark, a 3-pointer by Hendrix at the buzzer cut the lead to two points, 30-28, at the half.
 
Edwards started the third quarter with two baskets to give the Lady Tigers the first lead of the game by two points, 32-30, with 8:34 remaining in the quarter, but SCSU outscored SSU 4-2 to tie the game at 34 with 6:24 left.  The Lady Tigers scored the next seven points to take a seven-point lead, 41-34, at 2:42 mark, but the Lady Bulldogs scored four of the next six points to cut the lead to five, 43-38, after three quarters.
 
A junior guard Taylor-Ashley Shaw made free throw and a sophomore guard Lauryn Fields layup gave SSU its largest lead of the game leading by eight points, 46-38, with 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter.  The Lady Bulldogs scored the next 10 points to take a two-point lead, 48-46, with 42 seconds left, but a layup by Davis tied the score at 48 with 17 seconds remaining.  The Lady Bulldogs missed a jumper in the paint to send the game into overtime.
 
A sophomore forward Jada Young made free throw gave the Lady Tigers a point lead, 49-48, at the 3:38 mark, but the Lady Bulldogs scored the next nine points to take an eight-point lead, 59-51, lead with 41 seconds remaining.  SCSU scored three of the final five points to take home the eight point lead.
 
Jasmine Coleman led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting with five rebounds, while Toni Grier and Amber Howard each added 13 points.  Grier shot 4-for-5 and led the team with eight rebounds, while Brittany Drumgoole added seven points and four rebounds.


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