SAVANNAH, Ga.- The Savannah State women's basketball team fell to 3-2 on the season, following a 67-53 defeat from Georgia Southwestern in a game played at Tiger Arena on December 2, 2023.
 
It was the first ever meeting between the teams.
 
The Lady Tigers had a rough afternoon as they shot 28.3 percent from the field, 15.4 percent from behind the arc and were out-rebounded 46-31.
 
The Hurricanes, from the Peach Belt Conference, led from start to finish, jumping out to a 9-0 lead. Savannah State found their way on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the opening quarter, after a layup by Amani Hamilton.
 
Hamilton's basket started a 8-1 run by SSU which got them as close as 10-8, following a layup by Amari Heard.
 
Georgia Southwestern led 19-14 after the first quarter.
 
The Hurricanes led by at least seven points for most of the second quarter but a pair of free throws by Ta'Quasia Lampkin got SSU within 26-21with 5:41 on the clock.
 
GSW answered with a 9-2 spurt to extend their lead to 35-23 with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter.
 
Lampkin made a layup and Nyla Allen hit a jumper in the final moments of the quarter for SSU as they went into intermission trailing 36-27.
 
With 4:44 left in the third quarter, Savannah State found themselves down by eight but responded by stringing together a 5-0 mini run as Lampkin made a layup and Jashiyah Jones drilled a 3-pointer with 1:39 showing to cut their deficit to 44-41.
 
GSW's Lexi McCully hit back-to-back 3-pointers to thwart any SSU threat which ran their lead back to 50-41.
 
The Hurricanes hit the first basket of the fourth quarter to go ahead by 11.
 
A pair of free throws by Allen and a layup by Lampkin sliced Savannah State's deficit to 52-45 with 8:08 left.
 
The Lady Tigers would not get any closer to Georgia Southwestern the rest of the contest. With 3:01 remaining, the Hurricanes built a commanding 17-point cushion and went on to win by 14.
 
Lampkin came off the bench to post a double-double for SSU. The senior from Beaufort, South Carolina had a career-high 16 rebounds and matched a career-high with 14 points.
 
Allen netted 13 points as she hit 9 of 10 free throw attempts and Heard added nine points.
 
Mya Byrd entered the game averaging 18.5 points a night but was held to just six points.
 
Jones had five points, Aaliyah Carlock had 4 and Hamilton added two points with five rebounds to round out the SSU scoring.
 
The Hurricanes (5-1) were led by McCully and Kayla Langley who scored 15 points apiece.
 
Savannah State returns to conference play on Dec. 4, traveling to Fairfield, Alabama to play Miles at 6 p.m.
 
The Lady Tigers return home on Dec. 16 to face Tuskegee at 2 p.m.