Lady Tigers Win Big in Exhibition Series Finale (2736 hits)
Courtesy MEAC Media Relations Fri, August 10, 2012 Photo courtesy of MEAC Media Relations
The Savannah State women’s basketball team came up big in the final two games of an exhibition series in Toronto, Canada this week.
The Lady Tigers downed Toronto A Game Junior team 43-36 in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday at George Brown College, and took game two against Toronto A Game Senior team 77-53.
In the opening game, Savannah State struggled against a scrappy junior team, but some strong scoring from true freshman Jerryshia Williams gave the Lady Tigers their first win of the exhibition series.
Williams led all scorers with 12 points in the opening contest, followed closely by teammate Blessing Uba who knocked in 11.
Toronto’s Oceanna Hamilton scored two quick baskets in the opening minutes to give her team a 4-2 lead over Savannah State. The Lady Tigers responded with a 7-2 run sparked by a 3-point play from Uba to take a 9-6 lead with 12:56 left in the first half.
A massive offensive push from the Lady Tigers towards the end of the first half put them up by 12 with 1:03 on the clock, 24-12. Uba added two more on a fast break to give the visitors a 26-14 lead at the half.
Slow offense in the second half quelled the scoring, but the Lady Tigers held the lead throughout, going up by as much as 12. Toronto’s Brianna Thomas nailed a trey at the 5:46 mark, cutting the Lady Tigers lead to 2 points, 34-32, the closest the home team came to Savannah State’s lead.
Savannah State went on a 6-4 run in the final four minutes with help from newcomer’s Andrietta Thomas and Erin Hogue to garner the win.
In the second game both teams missed four shots apiece in the opening minutes. Thomas sunk a jumper, followed by a two free-throws from Hogue to give the Lady Tigers a 4-0 lead at the 16:52 mark.
The Lady Tigers defense stepped up and began creating fast break opportunities that sparked a 13-5 run in the middle of the first half. A layup from Toronto’s Cheyenne Creighton made it 26-12 with 8:50 remaining to play in the opening half.
A 3-pointer from Uba gave the Lady Tigers a 46-22 lead with 1:50 on the clock. Thomas put in a buzzer beating layup off a rebound from Jasmine Norman’s last second shot to give Savannah State a 52-26 lead into the locker room.
The 26 point lead was all the Lady Tigers needed heading into the second half. Toronto cut the massive lead to only 19 on a jumper from Samantha Robertson with 3:59 on the clock, 69-50. Savannah State responded with 8 more points in the last three minutes of the game for the final score.
Hogue led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Uba who scored 20. Williams and Thomas each were in double digits with 10 apiece.
The two wins came after the Lady Tigers dropped the first two games of the week long exhibition series. Savannah State fell 76-74 in the opening game against Toronto Senior Women’s Club Tuesday, and lost 77-73, Wednesday, to Toronto Team X.
Savannah State opens their regular season in early November.
