T&D Staff Report

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Savannah State continued its strong start at the expense of South Carolina State on Saturday.

Coming off their first loss to Florida A&M four days earlier, the Lady Tigers crushed the winless Lady Bulldogs 70-46 to hand them their ninth consecutive dating back to last season.

A Tiger Arena crowd of 238 watched as four players scored in double figures for the Lady Tigers (3-1). Senior guard Ivy Smith scored a game-high 16 points, junior guard Antionette Williams chipped in 15 points, sophomore forward Milan Johnson added 13 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and junior forward LaShara Smith had 11 points off the bench.

"After the FAMU game, we went back to preseason conditioning, just to let them know that we're accountable as coaches and players for the program," said SSU coach Cedric Baker, who previously coached at Voorhees College. "I didn't think we played up to our expectations (against FAMU). We had a good practice over the holiday break. We had an intense shoot-around this morning to make sure that we came out ready to play today.

Savannah State led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but SCSU (0-4) cut the score to 34-30 at halftime. The Lady Bulldogs, who are coached by former Jenkins High School basketball coach Tonya Mackey, were led by sophomore guard Sophilia Hipps' 12 points and center Jenell Moore added 10 points.

However, a 5-27 shooting effort in the second half doomed the Lady Bulldogs as SSU finished 50 percent from the field. The two teams are scheduled to meet again on Dec. 12 in Orangeburg.

SCSU returns to action at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on Tuesday against Gardner-Webb at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs will play 10 of the next 11 games at home.

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