Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Amber Howard scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, but it was a tough Lady Bulldog defense that proved to be the difference as No. 9 South Carolina State upset No. 1 Bethune-Cookman 56-48 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament at the Norfolk Scope. It marked the second straight season that the top seed has lost to the No. 9 seed in the tournament.
 
The Lady Bulldogs (13-15) advance to the semifinal round on Friday where they will play the winner of the Morgan State-Coppin State game 12 p.m.
 
Bethune-Cookman (18-12) took control early with a 15-7 advantage by the end of the first period. But SC State dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Wildcats 13-4 and limiting them to just four made free throws. The Lady Bulldogs went into the break with a 20-19 lead.
 
That would be the theme for the rest of the game as the Lady Wildcat's young guards took turns giving the ball up and allowing SC State to capitalize.
 
Bethune-Cookman appeared to flex in the third quarter and briefly took the lead, but SC State made sure that it was short lived as the score was deadlocked at 36 at the end of three quarters.
 
If there was any question about the outcome of the game, it was answered in the fourth quarter when the Lady Bulldogs used a 10-2 run to put the game away. The Lady Bulldogs were so effective that they held Bethune-Cookman without a field goal for almost eight minutes in the quarter.
 
Howard converted 7 of 8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to help the Lady Bulldogs move on.
 
Bethune-Cookman got a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds from Kailyn Williams, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-MEAC selection. Taylor Houston contributed 15 points and Ashanti Hunt finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Lady Wildcats won the rebounding battle, 47-34 but they committed 20 turnovers that converted into 26 SC State points.
 
For SC State, Ashleigh Outler also scored in double figures with 10 points. Defensively, Brittany Drumgoole and Toni Grier each grabbed six rebounds, while JaQuanna Murray blocked a game-high five shots.