Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – South Carolina State, the No. 9 seed, ensured there wouldn't be a repeat MEAC Tournament champion, upending No. 8 seed Savannah State 61-53 in overtime in Tuesday's first-round women's game at Norfolk Scope.
 
The Lady Bulldogs (12-15) will take on top seed Bethune-Cookman in Wednesday's quarterfinal at 12 p.m.
 
"There was a lot of intensity out there," SC State coach Doug Robertson, Jr. said. "We played with that intensity, which was something we had gotten away from the last few games."
 
Savannah State, which had won its first MEAC Tournament crown a season ago, held a 43-38 lead after three quarters. But the Tigers (10-18) had trouble scoring the rest of the way – while the Lady Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter with a 10-3 run.
 
"I told them (in the huddle), 'Play a little bit harder for me, one more time'," Robertson said.
 
That run saw Toni Grier (13 points) convert a 3-point play with 1:06 left in regulation, putting the Bulldogs up 47-46, before a Jazzmine Johnson free throw with 42 seconds left gave SC State a 48-46 lead.
 
But in a second half that saw Savannah State hit just seven field goals, Tiyonda Davis (12 points, 10 rebounds) scored the most important one of the contest with 17.5 seconds left in regulation, taking the in-bound pass under the basket and banking it off the backboard to tie the game at 48-48.
 
"I really thought that momentum would carry over (to overtime)," Savannah State head coach Cedric Baker said. "Our game plan was to advance, but that obviously didn't happen."
 
Much like the fourth quarter, the Tigers had trouble scoring in the overtime – going 2-7 from the floor. Meanwhile, the Lady Bulldogs went 3-for-4 from the floor and made six of their eight free throws. All told, SC State outscored Savannah State 13-5 in the overtime.
 
Between the fourth quarter and overtime, SC State outscored the Tigers 23-10.
 
That was after Savannah State had built up a five-point lead after 30 minutes. The Tigers had gone on a 13-4 run to open the second half, taking a 41-34 lead after Deyja Brown hit a three with 2:36 left in the quarter.
 
But Savannah State scored just 12 more points the rest of the way, while committing a combined 14 turnovers in the second half and overtime. Compounding that was the fact that Kenyata Hendrix and Rhianna Warren – who combined for six 3-pointers in the first half – were held to a combined two points after halftime.
 
"We just weren't knocking down shots," Warren said. "We missed some open shots."
 
"We tried to find them on (defense)," Amber Howard (13 points) said. "We just needed to figure out where they were on the floor and not give them easy looks."
 
Jasmine Coleman led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
 
SC State shot 35.6 percent (21-for-59) from the floor and made five of 11 3-pointers. Savannah State shot 38.9 percent (21-54) from the floor and held a 39-35 edge on the glass.