Box Score SAVANNAH, GA—Senior guard Ezinne Kalu tossed in a game-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while dishing out eight assists to lead Savannah St. to an 60-51 victory over SC State  Thursday at Tiger Arena.

"Savannah St. played well at home as they did all season," said Lady Bulldog assistant coach Ralph Patin III. "We knew we were in for a dog fight and Kalu was much more aggressive tonight and played well for them."

SC State falls to 7-19 overall, 5-11 in the MEAC and will be the 10^th seed heading into next week's MEAC Championship Tournament, while Savannah St. improves to 17-13 overall, 10-6 in the league and clinched the 5^th seed.

Senior forward Jasmine Kirkland added 14 points and seven rebounds, while teammate freshman Kenyata Hendrix chip in 11 and seven rebounds in the win.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by senior Cabriel Duren with a team-high 17 points and seven assists, junior Kourtney Williams finished with 12, while senior forward Cherisha Floyd grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the lost.

Both teams were tied 24-24 during intermission. Savannah State opened up the second-half with an eight point lead, 38-30, off a layup by freshman center Tiyonda Davis at the 15:29 mark. Junior forward Persephone 'Ci Ci" Goodwin pulled the Lady Bulldogs within two, 44-42 on a driving layup with 8:41 remaining.

Kirkland's layup put SSU ahead seven, 55-48, with a little under 3:00 minutes left in regulation.  Kalu tossed in three straight free-throws from the charity stripe to seal the 60-51 victory.

Despite a costly 19 turnovers by the Lady Bulldogs, SSU out-rebounded the SC State 38-33, while getting 25 unanswered points from the bench.

"We had a hard time stopping them and we had defensive breakdowns which led for easy baskets," said Patin III. "When it came time to score we didn't have anyone stepping up which made it difficult for us."

The Lady Bulldogs the 10^th seed will face the 7^th seed on Tuesday (March.11) in the first-round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament held in Norfolk, VA March 10-15 at the Scope Arena.
 
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