Box Score ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- South Carolina State built a 26-point lead with just under eleven minutes left to play, then beat back a Howard rally to register a 78-64 win over the visitors Monday at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
The victory was the second in a row for the Lady Bulldogs, who got 18 points each from senior
Kourtney Williams and junior
Amber Howard.
Jasmine Coleman added 14 points, a team-high eight rebounds and three blocks, and
Jazzmine Johnson had 12 points for SC State, which improved to 15-10 and 8-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Victoria Gonzales led Howard with 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Syndi Johnson contributed 14 points and seven boards, Cheyenne Brown 13 points and Jasmine Hill 10 for the Lady Bison who fell to 3-24 overall and 3-11 in the MEAC.
Host SC State, ahead 38-26 at the break, used a 25-11 run to start the second half to build a 63-37 advantage when reserve
Jahmia Bradley put back a Williams' missed jumper with 10:52 on the clock.
Gonzales converted a three-point play for Howard and Hill followed with a 3-pointer with 9:58 showing to spark a 21-5 Lady Bison run that pulled the visitors to within 68-58 with 3:33 left in the contest.
But Williams, who had missed her last four shots, got a layup at the three-minute mark and Coleman followed with a layup of her own off an assist by Williams with 2:36 showing for a 72-58 SC State lead and the Lady Bulldogs went on to the win in the only scheduled meeting of the two teams this year.
SC State took a 20-6 lead early in the contest and was ahead 23-10 following a 3-pointer by Howard with 12:10 on the first-period clock, but Howard rallied behind the shooting of Gonzales and 3-pointers by Brown and Johnson to close the gap to 27-26 at the 6:05 mark.
Following a timeout, the Lady Bulldogs closed out the half on an 11-0 run to take a 38-26 lead to the locker room.
The Lady Bulldogs close out their home schedule Saturday, when they host Savannah State in the first game of an MEAC doubleheader, beginning at 4 p.m.
