TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Junior forward Kaylee Allen and freshman center Alexxus Sowell combined for 37 points as the Savannah State University women's basketball team (3-16, 1-7 MEAC) picked up its first conference win against Florida A&M University (4-17, 2-6 MEAC) 65-47 Wednesday in Al Lawson Center.
 
Allen recorded a game-high 26 points and added eight rebounds and four steals, while Sowell recorded 11 points, a career-high seven blocks and six rebounds. 
 
Freshman forward Jalea Gray recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and added seven points, while freshman guard Heniaya Moton added nine points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.  Junior guard Jacqueline Anderson added seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
 
Savannah State shot 40.7 (24-for-59) percent from the floor, while FAMU shot 26.7 (16-for-60) percent from the floor, including shooting five (1-for-20) percent from the 3-point line.
 
The Lady Tigers scored 16 of the first 23 points of the game to take a nine-point, 16-7, lead with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter, but FAMU scored the next four points to cut the lead to five points, 16-11, with 1:50 left.  Savannah State scored five of the last seven points to take an eight-point lead, 21-13, after the first quarter.
 
Savannah State scored five of the first seven points in the second quarter to increase its lead to 11 points, 26-15, with 7:50 remaining in the quarter, but Florida A&M scored the next four points to cut the lead to seven points, 26-19, with 4:24 left.  The Lady Tigers scored nine of the final 11 points of the quarter to take a halftime lead, 35-21.
 
A Sowell jumper gave SSU a 16-point lead, 37-21, with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter, but the Rattlers scored the next seven points to cut the lead to nine points, 37-28, with 6:08 left.  The Lady Tigers scored eight of the next 12 points to increase their lead to 13 points, 45-32, with 1:46 left, but a FAMU layup with 1:36 cut the third quarter SSU lead to 11 points, 45-34. 
 
Florida A&M scored four of the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to nine points, 47-38, with 7:28 remaining in the quarter, but the Lady Tigers scored 11 of the next 12 points to increase their lead to 19 points, 58-39, with 4:37 left.  The Rattlers scored the next six points to cut the lead to 13 points, 58-45, with 1:58 remaining in the game, but Savannah State scored seven of the final nine points for the 18 point win.
 
The Rattlers were led by Dy'Manee Royal and Shakeyrra Morrison with nine points each, while Morrison added a team-high 12 rebounds and Royal added seven rebounds and Florence Ouattara and De'Ayra Davis each added seven points.
 
The Lady Tigers start a four-game homestand with South Carolina State University (7-13, 2-6 MEAC) Saturday at 4 p.m. in Tiger Arena.
 
Newspaper Box Score
Savannah State vs Florida A&M
1/31/18 6 p.m. at Tallahassee, Fla. (Al Lawson Center)
At Tallahassee, Fla. (Al Lawson Center)
SAVANNAH STATE 65, FLORIDA A&M 47
SAVANNAH STATE (3-16| 1-7 MEAC)
ALLEN,Kaylee 9-22 5-6 26; SOWELL,Alexxus 5-8 1-2 11; MOTON,Heniaya 4-9 1-1
9; ANDERSON,Jacqueline 3-6 0-2 7; GRAY,Jalea 1-5 5-8 7; FARMER,Nadia 1-2 0-0
3; BARTLETT,Jazmine 1-4 0-0 2; GALLISHAW,Sabree 0-2 0-0 0; Williams,Cortney
0-0 0-0 0; RUSSELL,Praise 0-0 0-0 0; JOHNSON,Teyah 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-59
12-19 65.
FLORIDA A&M (4-17 | 2-6 MEAC)
MORRISON,Shakeyrra 2-6 5-11 9; ROYAL,Dy'Manee 4-9 1-4 9; DAVIS,De'Ayra 2-9
3-6 7; OUATTARA,Florence 2-10 2-2 7; BURNEY-ROBINSON,Shal 3-6 0-0 6;
DARKS,Taylor 1-2 3-4 5; KING,Dawn 1-6 0-0 2; SMITH,Zhymani 1-3 0-0 2;
DAVIs,Ny'Asia 0-3 0-0 0; ARKORFUL,Ama 0-0 0-0 0; YURDAKUL,Ecenur "E" 0-6 0-0
0. Totals 16-60 14-27 47.
Savannah State................   21   14   10   20  -   65
Florida A&M...................   13    8   13   13  -   47
3-point goals--Savannah State 5-15 (ALLEN,Kaylee 3-8; ANDERSON,Jacqueline
1-2; FARMER,Nadia 1-2; BARTLETT,Jazmine 0-1; JOHNSON,Teyah 0-1;
MOTON,Heniaya 0-1), Florida A&M 1-20 (OUATTARA,Florence 1-6; DAVIS,De'Ayra
0-2; KING,Dawn 0-5; YURDAKUL,Ecenur "E" 0-6; MORRISON,Shakeyrra 0-1). Fouled
out--Savannah State-None, Florida A&M-None. Rebounds--Savannah State 44
(GRAY,Jalea 13), Florida A&M 44 (MORRISON,Shakeyrra 12). Assists--Savannah
State 9 (ANDERSON,Jacqueline 3), Florida A&M 7 (KING,Dawn 3). Total
fouls--Savannah State 22, Florida A&M 14. Technical fouls--Savannah
State-None, Florida A&M-None. A-674
 
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