SAVANNAH, Ga. – Junior guard Kaylee Allen recorded her first career double-double with a game-high 17 points and tied a game-high 11 rebounds as Savannah State University women's basketball (2-12, 0-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) dropped its MEAC home opener to University of Maryland Eastern Shore 4-12, 1-3 MEAC) 68-56 in Tiger Arena Saturday.
 
Allen added two assists and two steals, while freshman forward Jalea Gray nearly recorded a double-double with a career-high 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds.  Freshman center Alexxus Sowell tied a game-high with 11 rebounds and with two blocks, while freshman guard Heniaya Moton added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
 
Savannah State scored the first seven points of the game to take a 7-0 lead with 8:00 remaining in the first quarter before a layup got the Hawks on board to cut the lead to five points, 7-2, with 7:47 left.  The Lady Tigers scored 15 of the next 27 points to increase their lead to 12 points, 23-11, with 1:53 remaining, but Maryland Eastern Shore scored the final five points to cut the first quarter deficit to seven points, 23-16.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore scored 10 of the first 14 points in the second quarter to cut the lead to a point, 27-26, with 6:01 remaining in the game, but Savannah State scored nine of the next 10 points to increase the lead to nine points, 36-27, with 2:03 left in the quarter.  The Hawks scored the final six points to cut the halftime deficit to three points, 36-33. 
 
Savannah State scored eight of the first nine points in the third quarter to increase its lead to 10 points, 44-34, with 6:48 remaining in the quarter, but the Hawks scored nine of the final 11 points of quarter to cut the third quarter deficit to three points, 46-43. 
 
Maryland Eastern Shore scored 14 of the first 20 points of the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead, 57-52, with 4:35 remaining in the game, but a Moton layup cut the lead to three points, 57-54, with 3:30 left.  The Hawks scored 11 of the final 13 points for the 12 point win.
 
The Hawks were led by Alexus Hicks with 16 points off the bench, Ciani Byrom with 15 points and four assists and Bairesha Gill-Miles with 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Lady Tigers continue the four game homestand with Howard University Monday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Arena.
 
Newspaper Box Score
Maryland Eastern Shore vs Savannah State
01/13/18 4 p.m. at Savannah, Ga. (Tiger Arena)
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 68, SAVANNAH STATE 56
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE (4-12, 1-3 MEAC)
HICKS,Alexus 5-9 2-3 16; BYROM,Ciani 4-11 7-9 15; GILL-MILES,Bairesha 6-10
1-6 13; EATON,Keyera 2-10 0-2 5; SYDNOR,Porsha 2-4 0-0 4; SMITH,Jordyn 2-5
0-0 4; THOMPSON,Martha 1-9 0-0 3; MARTIN,Ra'Jean 1-5 0-0 3; CARNEY,Amanda
1-5 0-0 3; MORRIS,Tori 0-0 2-2 2; NKPUECHINA,Chioma 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-68
12-22 68.
SAVANNAH STATE (2-12, 0-3 MEAC)
ALLEN,Kaylee 6-20 2-4 17; GRAY,Jalea 5-10 2-3 12; MOTON,Heniaya 5-14 1-2 12;
VANCE,Kayla 3-5 0-0 6; BARTLETT,Jazmine 2-6 1-2 5; SOWELL,Alexxus 1-4 0-0 2;
ANDERSON,Jacqueline 1-2 0-0 2; Colbert,Charlinda 0-0 0-0 0; RUSSELL,Praise
0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 6-11 56.
Maryland Eastern Shore..........   16   17   10   25  -   68
Savannah State................   23   13   10   10  -   56
3-point goals--Maryland Eastern Sho 8-27 (HICKS,Alexus 4-6; EATON,Keyera
1-4; MARTIN,Ra'Jean 1-5; CARNEY,Amanda 1-5; THOMPSON,Martha 1-4; BYROM,Ciani
0-3), Savannah State 4-14 (ALLEN,Kaylee 3-7; MOTON,Heniaya 1-3;
BARTLETT,Jazmine 0-1; RUSSELL,Praise 0-3). Fouled out--Maryland Eastern
Sho-None, Savannah State-GRAY,Jalea. Rebounds--Maryland Eastern Sho 43
(GILL-MILES,Bairesha 9), Savannah State 51 (ALLEN,Kaylee 11; SOWELL,Alexxus
11). Assists--Maryland Eastern Sho 11 (BYROM,Ciani 4), Savannah State 9
(MOTON,Heniaya 3). Total fouls--Maryland Eastern Sho 17, Savannah State 21.
Technical fouls--Maryland Eastern Sho-None, Savannah State-None. A-251
 
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