SAVANNAH, Ga.-  Amani Hamilton had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Savannah State to a 61-56 win over University of South Carolina Beaufort in the Second Annuall River Rivalry Tuesday evening.

The crowd of 1,342 at Enmarket Arena saw the Sand Sharks lead by as many as 13 points in the first half. SSU rallied back as they shot 62.3 percent from the field in the fourth quarter.

USCB started the contest with a 15-2 run and ended the first quarter with a 20-11 advantage.

The second quarter began with the Lady Tigers putting together a 5-1 spurt, getting a layup and a free throw from K'lya Hankerson and a layup from Mya Byrd, to pull within 21-16 with 7:36 remaining in the quarter.

The Sand Sharks responded and increased their lead to a dozen points and went into intermission with a 31-20 lead.

Trailing 33-29 in the third quarter, SSU used a 7-0 run to close their gap to four with 7:15 left in the quarter as Byrd made a layup and a free throw, Hankerson tipped in a shot and Alayah Birch followed with a layup.

USC Beaufort led by nine with 3:30 left in the third quarter before Savannah State scored the final four points from the free throw line with Byrd and Birch each making a pair of free throws to make the score 40-35 in favor of the Sand Sharks as they headed into the fourth quarter.

Layups by Hankerson, Hamilton and Birch to start the fourth quarter put SSU ahead 41-40.

The teams continued to trade baskets and with the game knotted at 54, a jumper by Hankerson gave Savannah State the lead for good with 57 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws by Birch along with another free throw by Byrd was added insurance as they expanded their lead to 59-54 with 16 seconds left.

Hamilton, who made 6-of-7 shots from the free throw line, also had two blocks and two steals.

Birch came off the bench to hit 6-of-8 free throw attempts as well as add 14 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Byrd had 12 points and four rebounds, Hankerson chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds while Kayla Grant contributed six points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

In a game that had three ties and seven lead changes, the Lady Tigers won the rebounding battle 40 to 37 and outscored USCB in the paint 38 to 26.

Savannah State (3-2) will hit the road for their SIAC opener in their next contest, traveling to Frankfort, Kentucky for a matchup with Kentucky State on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from the Exum Center is set for 2:00pm.

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