SAVANNAH, Ga.-
Myasia Jones scored a game-high 20 points but Savannah State would fall to rival South Carolina State 71-60 in a game played at Tiger Arena.
The crowd of 1,100 saw Jones make 8 of 12 shots from the field, 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and both free throw attempts while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Jacquece Alston came off the bench to add 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 assists for SSU.
Savannah State missed their first seven shots from the floor as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-0 advantage with 4:19 left in the opening quarter.
Both teams scored seven points each the remainder of the quarter as SCSU led 17-7.
The Lady Tigers started the second quarter with six straight points as
Alexxus Sowell made a layup while
Ta'Quasia Lampkin and
Jalea Gray both hit two free throws to make the score 17-13.
A 8-1 run by the Bulldogs gave the visitors a 25-14 edge with 5:41 remaining in the quarter.
Sowell's layup with 2:49 left would get SSU as close as 27-20 but South Carolina State would go into intermission with a 33-22 lead.
With 2:42 left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs would increase their lead to 50-32 but Savannah State would close the quarter with a 11-3 spurt as Jones would convert a pair of layups and a 3-pointer while Gray and Alston would both add layups.
SCSU led 53-43 at the end of three quarters.
Layups by
Robbi Allen and Alston to start the final quarter pulled SSU within 53-47 but a 10-4 run by the Bulldogs expanded their lead to 63-51 at the 6:06 mark.
Savannah State (4-10, 2-3 MEAC) never got any closer than eight the rest of the way.
The Lady Tigers finished the game shooting 39.7 percent from the floor, 18.2 percent from 3-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
Taylor Brown led four South Carolina State players in double figures with 18 points.and 9 rebounds.
The Bulldogs (10-10) shot 39.6 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and 77.4 percent from the free throw line. SC State edged Savannah State in rebounds 37 to 34.
