DOVER, Del. — South Carolina State blistered the nets with 58.7 percent accuracy from the field Saturday in racing past Delaware State 69-52 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for the Bulldogs.

In what second-year S.C. State head coach Tim Carter called the most productive effort of the season by his team, the Bulldogs connected on 27 of 46 field goal attempts from the field, including a 7-8 effort from three-point range.

“It was certainly our best-played game of the season,” said an elated Carter. “We shot the ball extremely well from the field, from the three-point line and from the free throw line. We did a great job in executing and remained focused throughout the game. The only negative was the turnovers (20).

“Any time you go on the road in this league,” he continued “and get a win against a team and a program that has been dominant in the conference, it’s a great feeling. But, it’s just one win and we need to keep up our intensity level and try to build on this Monday against Maryland-Eastern Shore.”

The Bulldogs leveled their record at 6-6 on the season and improved to 1-1 in the league with the victory.

Freshman Jimmy Williams, one of four Bulldogs in double figures, spearheaded the effort with 15 points, with his entire total coming on five field goals from behind the arc.

Senior Jason Johnson chipped in 14 points, along with seven rebounds, Jason Flagler added 12 points and Carrio Bennett 10 and a game-high six assists. Jessie Burton, who was perfect from the field — 3-3, including 1-1 on 3-pointers — contributed seven points, as did Josh Jackson, who tied Johnson for game-high rebounding honors with seven.

The Hornets, who were playing for the first time since an 88-50 loss at Notre Dame Dec. 20, fell to 2-14 overall and 1-1 in the league.

Donald Johnson had 11 points to lead Delaware State, which also got 10 points each from Frisco Sandidge and Marcus Neal in the loss.

Delaware State, which has been one of the best shooting teams in the MEAC in recent years, was limited to 35.6 percent from the field by a swarming S.C. State man-to-man defense. Carter’s team also enjoyed a 37-23 edge on the boards.

The Bulldogs took control early, breaking away from a 7-7 tie with 14:15 remaining on the first-half clock with 19-2 run that put S.C. State ahead 26-9 when Flagler put in a layup off a feed from Burton with 6:07 left in the half.

Eight straight points by the Hornets closed the gap to 26-17, but a 3-pointer by Williams, his second of the contest, ignited a 7-2 run that sent S.C. State to the locker room ahead 33-19.

Williams opened the final stanza with his third basket from long range as the shot clock was winding down to push the S.C. State advantage to 36-19 with 19:25 left. A 3-pointer by Bennett with 14:02 showing put the Bulldogs ahead by 20, at 48-28 with 14:02 showing, and the closest the Hornets came after that was 16 points twice, the last time at 63-47 on an inside basket by Sandidge with 5:13 remaining.

S.C. State, however, got the next four points to push the lead back to 20 in winning going away.

The Bulldogs will try for a 2-0 start in the MEAC Monday when they face Maryland-Eastern Shore in the second game of a league doubleheader at Princess Anne, Md. The contest begins at 7:30 p.m. and will follow a 5:30 p.m. matchup of the women’s squads.

Delaware State downs Lady Bulldogs, 62-49

Delaware State, fueled by 32 South Carolina State turnovers, handed the Lady Bulldogs a 62-49 setback Saturday, spoiling the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference debut for S.C. State first-year head coach Doug Robertson.

Robertson’s team outshot the host Lady Hornets from the floor 54.3 percent to 36.8 percent. However, that edge was nullified by S.C. State’s 32 miscues — 20 more than the 12 committed by Del State — which the host turned into 35 points.

“How many teams are you going to beat when you have 32 turnovers?” said a disappointed Robertson after the game. “We must do a better job of protecting the basketball and must cut down on our many mental lapses. We have a long way to go to be more competitive on the floor.”

Robertson did acknowledge his team’s second-half effort, which saw the Lady Bulldogs cut a 20-point lead to eight midway the period.

“We never quit and made a nice run in the second half to get to within eight points,” Robertson said. “But we could have gotten even closer and put more pressure on them (Lady Hornets) if we had not had a couple of mental lapses and led to turnovers during the rally.

“We just have to show more intensity, and it must start in practice. When we realize this, we will get better.”

Center Marie Reid and forward Kristin Johnson, both seniors, each had 15 points to lead S.C. State. Junior guard Sophilia Hipps added 12 points in the loss, which dropped the Lady Bulldogs to 3-9 on the season and 0-1 in the MEAC.

Jenell Moore, who was seeing action for the first time since sustaining a concussion against Florida International Dec. 22, came off the bench for a game-high nine rebounds for Robertson’s squad.

Sonia Johnson was the only Lady Hornet in double figures with 10 points, along with a team-high six rebounds. Jameka Smith contributed eight points, while Ashley Thompson, Keyhana Wakefield and Selena Galloway added seven each.

Delaware State improved to 2-0 in the MEAC and climbed to 5-9 on the season with the victory.

The Lady Hornets scored 24 points off 19 S.C. State first-half turnovers to roll to a 39-20 lead at intermission.

The Del State lead swelled to 20 three times, the last time at 47-27 with 15:50 left before S.C. State went on a 19-7 run to close to within 54-46 on a drive by Johnson. The Lady Hornets scored the next four points for a 56-48 edge at the 3:37 mark and pulled away for the victory.

The S.C. State women will play the second game in a four-game MEAC road swing Monday at Maryland-Eastern Shore. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

 

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