ORANGEBURG, SC – South Carolina State senior Sophilia Hipps led all scorers with 28 point, including six in the extra period, to lift the Lady Bulldogs to an 81-75 overtime win over visiting North Carolina Central Monday night at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Regulation ended deadlocked 67-all.

            Joi Walker added 14 points and Paris Alston 10 for Coach Doug Robertson's team, which snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 3-3 on the season.

            Joanna Miller had 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles who remained winless, falling to 0-6 on the season. LaToya Bennett added 18 points and Danielle DeBerry 13 and eight rebounds for NC Central.

            SC State, who led by as many as 11 points in the first half and was ahead 39-35 at the break, found itself behind by five, 65-60, when Bennett canned a layup with 3:38 left in regulation.

            Hipps got two free throws with 3:01 showing to pull the Lady Bulldogs to within 65-62 and, following a miss by the Lady Eagles on the other end, put in a 3-pointer to tie the contest at 65-all.

            A jumper by Walker put the host ahead 67-65 with 50 seconds remaining but a follow shot by the Lady Eagles' Bennett deadlocked the contest at 67-67 with 29 seconds left, leading to the extra period.

            SC State jumped to a 71-67 lead in overtime on baskets by Alston and Tiara Knotts, who finished with nine points on 4-5 shooting, with 3:41 left.

            Katrice Elliott got a short jumper to pull the visitors to within 71-69 with 2:29 left in the overtime, but the Lady Bulldogs got five of the next six points for a 76-70 advantage and hung on for the win.

            The Lady Bulldogs return to action Saturday, when they travel to Winston-Salem, NC to take on Winston-Salem State in the first game of a doubleheader, beginning at 2 p.m.

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