WBB Faces Morgan State at MEAC Championships

Kenyata Hendrix
Kenyata Hendrix

The Savannah State University women’s basketball team (11-18, 8-8 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) finished the regular season in a three-way tie for sixth place with Coppin State University and North Carolina A&T State University, but went 0-2 against those two teams to fall to the No. 8 seed in the MEAC Championship this week.

The Lady Tigers faced No. 9 seed Morgan State University Tuesday at noon and the winner moves on to face top seed Bethune-Cookman University Wednesday at noon at Scope Arena in Norfolk.

Last year, the Lady Tigers entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, but lost to No. 9 seed South Carolina State 61-53 in overtime.

Since joining the MEAC in the 2011-12 season, the Lady Tigers have posted a 5-4 record at the tournament, including a 5-2 record in the last three seasons.

The last time out, the Lady Tigers defeated South Carolina State University 53-45 Thursday in Tiger Arena in home finale to snap a four-game losing streak. Senior center Tiyonda Davis recorded a double double with 12 rebounds and 10 points and tied a career high eight blocks, while senior guard Kenyata Hendrix added 11 points, five assists and three rebounds. Graduate student guard Lauren “Gaby” Moss added eight points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Rhianna Warren added seven points.

Each team has won five games in the series and each team won on its home court this season. SSU defeated MSU 66-62 in overtime on Jan. 21 in Tiger Arena, while the Bears defeated the Lady Tigers 50- 43 on Feb. 18 in Baltimore, Md.

Hendrix, who was named on the All-MEAC Third Team Friday, leads the Lady Tigers with 11.8 points per game, while Moss is averaging 10.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. Davis leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game and with 3.9 blocks per game and averages 8.4 points, while senior forward Jeremica Edwards added 6.6 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game.

In conference play, Hendrix leads the team with 12.2 points per game, while Moss averages 11.0 points and 4.1 rebounds. Davis leads the team with 10.1 rebounds per game and with 4.5 blocks per game and averages 9.6 points, while Edwards averages 7.2 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Davis ranks in the MEAC in rebounds per game (9.0), which ranks 55th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and is second in blocks per game (3.9), which ranks third in the NCAA and third in the country with 105 blocks. In her career, the Athens, Ga., native holds the school record in the Division I era with 300 blocks and with 961 rebounds. She also ranks seventh with 903 career points and fourth with 388 career made field goals and holds the single season record with 105 blocks.

Hendrix holds the school record in the Division I era with 192 career made 3-point field goals and is the third Lady Tiger to record 1,000-plus points with 1,224, which ranks second, and ranks second with 424 made field goals.

After starting the conference 0-8, Morgan State has won seven of the last eight games. The Bears are led by Braennan Farrar with 12.7 points per game, while Tykyrah Williams averages 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and Zuri White averages 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 points.

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