CHARLOTTE, N. C.- Savannah State opened their 2024-25 women's basketball season with a convincing 57-36 win over Elizabeth City State in a game played November 9, 2024 in Brayboy Gymnasium on the campus of Johnson C. Smith as part of the CIAA/SIAC Challenge.

It was the seventh consecutive season that SSU began their season with a victory, dating back to the 2017-18 campaign. The team only played seven games during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19.

Mya Byrd was the only player to finish in double-digits, scoring a game-high 22 points. The senior guard made eight of 12 shots from the field and connected on four of six 3-point attempts. She also had three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Byrd did all the scoring for Savannah State in the first quarter, making three 3-pointers and a jumper as the Lady Tigers raced out to a 11-6 advantage.

SSU started the second quarter with a 12-0 run to stretch their lead to 23-6 with 5:18 left before intermission. Amani Hamilton kicked off the run with a free throw and a jumper followed by 3-pointer and a jumper by Byrd. K'yla Hankerson chipped in a jumper at the 6:19 mark and Byrd finished the run with a jumper to give the Orange & Blue a 17-point cushion.

The Vikings cut SSU's lead to 15 with :59 left but Savannah State finished the half with a 10-3 surge to go into intermission with a 35-13 cushion. Four different players scored points during the final 58 seconds of the second quarter for Savannah State, with Kayla Grant and Hamilton each making a layup, Hankerson making two layups and Byrd adding a pair of free throws.

ECSU sliced their deficit to 17 with 7:02 left in the third quarter but Savannah State responded with a layup by Hamilton followed by a jumper by Jayden Boykin and a tip in and a layup by Jazmin Thornton to go up 45-20 with 1:55 left in the third quarter.

Ahead by 21 in the fourth quarter, a jumpers by Byrd and Boykin and a free throw from Alayah Birch with 3:38 remaining gave SSU their largest lead of the day at 55-29. Hamilton had nine points for Savannah State (1-0) and Hankerson added six points and six rebounds.

As a team, the Lady Tigers shot 56.1 percent from the floor and made 40 percent of their 3-point attempts. SSU, who never trailed in the contest, scored ten points off nine Viking turnovers and scored 30 points in the paint.

Savannah State will play Johnson C. Smith on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in the final game of the CIAA/SIAC Challenge.