Savannah State cruises past Columbia College in season opener
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State University women’s basketball team (1-0) opened the season with a 101-34 win over Columbia College (1-5) 101-34 on Friday night in Tiger Arena. This is the fourth season in a row that the Lady Tigers have opened with a win over the Koalas and SSU has won the last 12 season openers.
Junior forward Jeremica Edwards paced the Lady Tigers with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting and added three assists and four steals in 20 minutes, while junior guard Kenyata Hendrix added 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-6 behind the 3-point line. Hendrix also added two assists and four rebounds.
Junior center Tiyonda Davis added 11 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field, and led the team with six rebounds, while adding two assists, three blocks and two steals. Junior guard Taylor-Ashley Shaw added 10 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, and added a team-high six assists with four rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore guard Lauryn Fields added 10 points with five assists and four steals, while junior center Caprisha Treadwell added five rebounds and six points, shooting 3-for-4 from the field.
Overall, the Lady Tigers shot 57.7 (41-for-71) percent from the field for the game, including shooting 42.9 (6-for-14) from the 3-point line, compared to 20 (12-for-60) percent from the Koalas for the game. SSU had 26 assists, 12 turnovers and 21 steals, while the Koalas had nine assists, 30 turnovers and six steals for the game.
The Koalas were led by Kinsley Hall with 13 points, Kennyatta Gilchrist with eight points and Shahira King-Dunson and Katie Kopp with six rebounds.
The Lady Tigers start a three-game stretch against Southeastern Conference opponents starting with Auburn on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. in Tiger Arena and then travels to Gainesville, Fla., to face Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. and travels to Starkville, Miss., to face Mississippi State on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 3 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com
USC Upstate Tops Norfolk State in season opener
NORFOLK, Va. - Kristen Dickerson scored a game-high 22 points to lead a hot-shooting University of South Carolina Upstate team to an 82-62 win over Norfolk State in the season-opener for both teams on Friday night at Joseph Echols Hall.
Raven Jefferson added 19 points and Brittany Clency 13 for the visiting Spartans of USC Upstate (1-0), who hit seven 3-pointers and shot 43 percent from the floor. Kayla Roberts had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds and Koryn Lawrence chipped in 10 points for the Spartans of NSU (0-1).
Dickerson scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and hit two 3-pointers in the first period alone, helping Upstate to an early 21-6 lead six and a half minutes into the game. The visiting Spartans led NSU 26-15 after one quarter.
NSU shot 35.5 percent from the floor (22-of-62) and got outrebounded, 48-39. Freshman guard Yazmen Hannah contributed nine points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench for the home-standing Spartans. Siobhan Beslow and Brehanna Daniels scored eight points apiece.
Brittany Starling had nine points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for Upstate.
NSU hits the road for its next game, a 7 p.m. contest Monday at the University of Virginia.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Samuels finishes with 12 points in Coppin State loss
RICHMOND, Va. - Keena Samuels scored 12 points to lead the Coppin State women's basketball team in its season-opening 73-42 loss to Virginia Commonwealth Friday morning at the Siegel Center.
Samuels scored half of her points in the third quarter as Coppin State outscored VCU 16-11. Seniors Jordan Swails and Janelle Lane finished with nine points each. Samuels, Swails and Amber Griffin handed out three assists each to lead Coppin State (0-1 overall). Griffin now has 296 career assists in her career.
Omaah Tayong grabbed five rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles.
Coppin State returns to action Monday night when it visits West Virginia University at 7:00 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Lady Pirates drop season opener at Iowa State
AMES, Iowa – The Hampton University women’s basketball team opened the 2015-16 season on Friday evening with a 95-59 loss to Iowa State in the Hilton Coliseum.
Junior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas, the preseason MEAC Player of the Year, led the Lady Pirates (0-1) with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting. She had five of Hampton’s eight 3-pointers, going 5-for-7 from behind the arc.
Tate-DeFreitas has 32 career 20-point games.
Senior guard Areana Davis added 12 points, a career high, on 5-for-9 shooting. On top of setting new career highs in field goals made and attempted, Davis also led the Lady Pirates with four rebounds.
Chanel Green dished out five assists.
The Lady Pirates shot 36.9 percent (24-for-65) from the floor and made eight of 25 3-pointers (32.0 percent). Hampton was 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) from the floor in the first quarter.
Iowa State (1-0) shot 56.7 percent (34-for-60) from the floor and made 12 of its 24 3-pointers.
The Cyclones also held a 45-28 edge in rebounding.
Bridget Carleton had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cyclones, while Seanna Johnson added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Four Cyclones wound up in double figures.
The Lady Pirates will be in Pullman, Wash. on Monday to take on Washington State at 10 p.m. EST.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Lady Wildcats drop home opener to Brown
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite a game-high 18 points from Kendra Cooper, Bethune-Cookman Women’s Basketball dropped its season opener to the Brown Bears on Friday evening, 68-61 at Moore Gymnasium.
Brown outrebounded the Wildcats courtesy a 37-31 advantage, leading to 14 second chance points for the Bears. Brown also won the battle in the paint, scoring 30 of the team’s 68 points on the inside, while the Wildcats scored 24 on the inside.
Brown was led in scoring by Shayna Mehta, coming off the bench for 17 points in a 7-for-15 shooting performance, adding three (3) three-pointers, six steals and two assists. She was joined in double figures by Jordin Alexander with 16 points and three assists.
B-CU was paced by Cooper’s game-high of 18 points and four assists. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Kailyn Williams supplied 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
The Lady Wildcats return to the hardwood Sunday, Nov. 15, as the team travels to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
Lady Hawks come up short against Georgetown
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – On the opening night of the college basketball season, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Women’s Basketball team came up short as they dropped their season opener against the Georgetown Hoyas, 71-60, inside the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.
Before the game, the Hawk family recognized its all-time winningest coach, Fred Batchelor, with a presentation to celebrate his 25th year of collegiate coaching. Coach Batchelor received numerous gifts and celebrated with friends, family, coaching staff, administrators, and current and former players.
Senior guard TeAmber Burke spearheaded the Hawk attack, posting a team-high 15 points all in the second half. Burke gave UMES the spark they needed to keep the contest close in the third and sophomore Moengaroa Subritky made spectacular plays down the stretch to pull the game within one-possession late. Subritzky filled the stat sheet as she registered eight points, eight dimes, and seven boards.
For the Hoyas (1-0), Dorothy Adomako recorded a game-high 23 points and seven boards. Katie McCormick and Faith Woodard combined for 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor in the victory.
This Sunday (Nov. 15), the Lady Hawks host USC-Upstate at the Hytche Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Florida A&M opens season with loss to Florida International
MIAMI, Fla. – Florida A&M put on a scoring surge in the second half but it wasn’t enough as the FIU Panthers held on for an 81-65 season-opening win for both teams in FIU Panther Arena.
Turnovers and a cold shooting first two quarters left the Rattler Women trailing 47-20, a deficit they wouldn’t quite be able to make up.
FAMU shot 21.4 percent from the floor and had over half their game total of 22 turnovers in the opening half, as FIU build a big advantage, while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor.
The second half saw FAMU make adjustments and begin to heat things up, as they outscored FIU, sparked by the play of senior Olivia Antilla, who led with 20 points, including three of four three-point range.
Senior Khaderja Young and newcomer Jessica Njoku each added 10 points, while sophomore Shalunda Burney-Robinson pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
Young, who ranked in the Top 25 in Division One in steals a year ago, finished the night with six picks, helping fuel the second half FAMU surge.
Janka Hegedus led FIU with a game-high 25 points, heading a group of five Panther players who scored in double figures Friday evening.
The Lady Rattlers will visit Florida Memorial University for a 2:00 duel at the A. Chester Robinson Athletic Center Saturday in Miami.
For complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com