DURHAM, N.C. – Senior center Tiyonda Davis and junior guard Deyja Brown both came off the bench to lead the Savannah State University women's basketball team with 26 points combined as the Lady Tigers (10-18, 7-8 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) fell to North Carolina Central University (7-20, 6-9 MEAC) Monday night in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Davis led SSU with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor and led with eight rebounds and three blocks, while Brown added a career-high 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting.  Davis' nine rebounds gives her 231 rebounds this season, which moves her into sixth most in a single season in the Division I era. 

Senior forward Jeremica Edwards and graduate student guard Lauren "Gaby" Moss each added eight points, while Moss added seven assists and five rebounds and Edwards added four rebounds and two assists.
 
An Eagle three-pointer gave the NCCU a 3-0 lead with 9:20 remaining in the first quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored 12 of the next 17 points to take a four-point lead, 12-8, with 3:20 left.  The Eagles scored four of the next to take a three-point lead, 15-12, with 1:39 remaining, but Savannah State scored the final four points to take a point lead, 16-15, after the first quarter.
 
North Carolina Central scored 15 of the first 21 points of the second quarter to take an eight-point lead, 30-22, with 1:58 remaining in the quarter, but a layup by Edwards cut the halftime lead to six points, 30-24.
 
Savannah State scored seven of the first 10 points of the third quarter to cut the lead to two points, 33-31 with 4:27 remaining in the quarter, but the Eagles scored the next five points to take a seven-point lead, 38-31, with 3:35 left.  Savannah State scored the next six points to cut the lead to a point, 38-37, with 59 seconds left, but NCCU scored the final three points to take a four-point lead, 41-37, after the third quarter.
 
The Lady Tigers score the first six points of the fourth quarter to take a two-point lead, 43-41, with 8:44 remaining in the quarter, but North Carolina Central scored nine of the next 11 points to take a five-point lead, 50-45, with 5:56 left.  Savannah State scored five of the next nine points to cut the lead to four points, 54-50, with 53 seconds left, but the Eagles scored the four of the final five points for the seven point win.
 
The Eagles were led by Morgan Jones with a game-high 28 points and added five rebounds, while Paulina Afriyie recorded a game-high 12 rebounds and Dominique Adams added 10 points.
 
The Lady Tigers return home for the home finale against South Carolina State University (5-21, 2-13 MEAC) Thursday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Arena for Senior Night. 
 
Newspaper Box Score
Savannah State vs N.C. Central
02/27/17 5:30 pm at Durham, N.C. (McDougald-McLendon Arena)
At Durham, N.C. (McDougald-McLendon Arena)
N.C. CENTRAL 58, SAVANNAH STATE 51
SAVANNAH STATE (10-18, 7-8 MEAC)
DAVIS,Tiyonda 6-11 3-4 15; BROWN,Deyja 5-9 0-0 11; EDWARDS,Jeremica 4-11 0-0
8; MOSS,Lauren 3-13 2-3 8; HENDRIX,Kenyata 1-6 1-2 4; SHAW,Taylor-Ashley 1-3
0-0 2; WARREN,Rhianna 1-1 0-0 2; GRAHAM,Charmia 0-2 1-2 1; FIELDS,Lauryn 0-0
0-0 0; ANDERSON,Jacqueline 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-56 7-11 51.
N.C. CENTRAL (7-20, 6-9 MEAC)
JONES,Morgan 6-15 14-16 28; ADAMS,Dominique 3-8 1-2 10; MARTIN,Rodneysha 3-7
0-0 8; BLOW,Jada 2-7 0-0 5; THOMAS,Chantal 2-9 0-2 4; MCCAIN,Deja 1-5 1-2 3;
MORTON,Kierona 0-0 0-0 0; AFRIYIE,Paulina 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-51 16-22 58.
Savannah State................   16    8   13   14  -   51
N.C. Central..................   15   15   11   17  -   58
3-point goals--Savannah State 2-8 (BROWN,Deyja 1-2; HENDRIX,Kenyata 1-2;
MOSS,Lauren 0-4), N.C. Central 8-18 (ADAMS,Dominique 3-7; MARTIN,Rodneysha
2-2; JONES,Morgan 2-4; BLOW,Jada 1-4; THOMAS,Chantal 0-1). Fouled
out--Savannah State-HENDRIX,Kenyata, N.C. Central-None. Rebounds--Savannah
State 36 (DAVIS,Tiyonda 8), N.C. Central 35 (AFRIYIE,Paulina 12).
Assists--Savannah State 11 (MOSS,Lauren 7), N.C. Central 10 (THOMAS,Chantal
3). Total fouls--Savannah State 17, N.C. Central 9. Technical
fouls--Savannah State-None, N.C. Central-None. A-778
 
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