Box Score ORANGEBURG, SC -- The South Carolina State women opened their home basketball season with a 43-41 victory over Presbyterian Thursday behind 18 points by junior Kourtney Williams. The win was the first of the season for the Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 1-2.

Williams, who made half of her 16 attempts from the field, hit the second of her two 3-pointers on the night with 4:50 remaining to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 43-40. The long-range basket was the final points of the contest for Coach Doug Robertson's team and proved to be the difference as the visiting Blue Hose could only muster a single point the rest of the way – a free throw by Keyonna Allen with 1:29 to play.

Mykala Jones added 12 points on four 3-pointers for SC State and was the only other Lady Bulldog in double figures. Cabriel Duren, who had just one basket in the contest, had a game-high eight rebounds for Robertson's team, which also got seven boards each from Williams and Persephone Goodwin. Both teams finished with 31 rebounds.

Presbyterian, which had no player to reach double-digit scoring in the contest, was led by Karlee Taylor with nine points. Allen added seven points and tied Rebecca Walker for team rebounding honors with six.

The Lady Bulldogs, who led by just two, 25-23, at the break in the low-scoring contest, built a 40-35 advantage on Williams' first long-range basket with 7:28 to play. The Blue Hose came back to tie on Taylor's 3-pointer and a layup by Smith with 5:20 remaining.

Williams got her second 3-pointer with just under five minutes left, giving her team a 43-40 edge with 4:50 showing. Both teams, bothered by missed shots and turnovers, failed to score over the next 3:21 until Allen made the first of two free throw attempts with 1:29 showing.Each team turned he ball over in the final minute as SC State, which lost 58-57 at the buzzer to USC Upstate Tuesday, hung on for the win.

"We survived," said a relieved Robertson in his post-game interview. "Ronnie Fisher is a good coach at Presbyterian and he controlled the tempo. We wanted to play a fast-paced game but his team kept the tempo down.

"We are still trying to find our way. We have had only eight players to shuffle in and out and that has been wearing us down. We will have three or four more players available following semester exams."

SC State resumes its schedule Nov. 26 at Georgia, the first of six straight road contests which end Dec. 22 at the University of South Carolina.
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