FORT VALLEY, Ga. – In a head-to-head battle for a chance to rise in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division, Savannah State women's basketball rose to the challenge on Saturday, beating Fort Valley State 78-65.
 
The Lady Tigers pick up their third SIAC win of the season and improved to 8-4 overall. Fort Valley State, who is currently in third place in the East Division, falls to 8-9 overall and 4-4 in conference.
 
Savannah State has the top scoring offense in the conference currently, and it was on full display Saturday as three Lady Tigers hit double digits in the win. As a team, SSU is averaging 77.6 points a game to lead the SIAC.
 
At the helm of that powerful offense is sophomore guard Le'Andrea Gillis, who is averaging 21.6 points a game, making her the top scorer in the conference. Gillis again led the Lady Tigers with 27 points on Saturday. It was the eighth time this season she's scored at least 20 points in a game.
 
Robbie Allen put up 15 on Saturday. It was the second game this week in which the sophomore guard put up double figures. Freshman Azhana Maxwell added 13 in the win for SSU.
 
Savannah State edged out to an 18-15 lead after the first quarter, but in the second quarter outscored the Lady Wildcat 27-18 for a big 45-33 lead at the half. The Lady Tigers maintained the advantage through the second half, going up by as much as 17 points.
 
Fort Valley scrambled together a 5-0 run in the final four minutes of action, but SSU pushed back out to a double-digit lead in the final minute behind two good field goals and two good free-throws from Maxwell. SSU shot 39.1% from the field, 43% from beyond the arc and 81% from the free-throw line.
 
The Lady Tigers continue SIAC action on Monday with a visit to Clark Atlanta. They return home on Jan. 25 to face the best team in the SIAC East Division, Benedict College, in Tiger Arena. Tip-off on Jan. 25 is set for 1 p.m.