Savannah State’s strong second half lifts past Lady Hawks
SAVANNAH, Ga. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's basketball team kept the contest close, but were unable to recover from Savannah State University's (SSU) late surge as they fell, 63-46.
With the loss, the Lady Hawks dropped to 3-10 overall (0-2 MEAC) whereas Savannah State improved to 7-7 (1-0 MEAC) on the season.
Ashleigh Claybrooks scored a team-high 13 points off the bench while grabbing five boards. Jessica Long chipped in nine points in a losing effort.
Other notable Hawk performances included Shawnee Sweeney and Taryana Kelly each posting six points while Shanyce Stewart registered a season-high eight points, including two triples, and 11 rebounds in the loss.
For Savannah State, they shot 44-percent from beyond the arc, including 7-of-13 in the first half. Ezinne Kalu led the Lady Tigers with 21 points, a game-high, and four dimes while Kenyata Hendrix notched nine points in the victory.
Next Saturday (01/11), the Lady Hawks return to the William P. Hytche Athletic Center as they host their conference home opener against the Spartans of Norfolk State University. Game-time is slated for 2:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com or www.ssuathletics.com
Coppin State suffers setback against Towson
BALTIMORE — The Coppin State University women’s basketball team recorded a season-high 20 assists during a tough 66-59 setback to Towson University inside of the Physical Education Complex Saturday afternoon in a non-conference contest.
The Eagles (4-9 overall) assisted on all but one of their 21 field goals. Coppin State recorded an assist on its first 12 baskets and last eight. The only non-assisted basket was Kyra Coleman’s layup that turned into an and-one with 9 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the contest. Coleman and sophomore guard Amber Griffin were the chief distributors by dishing seven assists each.
Coleman led the Eagles in scoring for a fourth straight game with 14 points. In the process, Coleman upped her career scoring total to 1,017 points and surpassed Thelma Lyles (1,005 career points) and Lisa
Briggs (1,015) to move into 11th place all-time on the all-time Coppin State scoring list. Next in Coleman’s crosshairs is Jackie Johnson-Stewart, who has 1,026 points.
Prior to the start of the game, Coleman was honored for becoming the 13th member of the CSU 1,000-point club. She was presented with a ball and an orange T-shirt to commemorate the accomplishment at center court with her parents, Terri and Ed by her side along with women’s head coach Derek Brown and CSU Director of Athletics Derrick Ramsey.
As usual, Coleman also stuffed the stat sheet with seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore Omaah Tayong provided a major lift off the bench by achieving season-highs in points (12) and rebounds (eight) in 27 electric minutes. She scored 10 points after intermission to help to rally the Eagles from a 17-point second half deficit. Tayong’s previous best scoring effort was eight points in the season-opener against Georgia Tech.
Towson (6-7) got a game-high 23 points along with 11 rebounds from LaTorri Hines-Allen and 13 from Dominique Johnson.
Coppin State returns to action Saturday when it hosts Savannah State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game beginning at 2:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com