Box Score PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Junior guard
Amber Howard scored a game-high 17 points, 11 in the second half, on 5-of-13 shooting (5-of-10 from 3-point range) as the South Carolina State women's basketball team defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 64-59 on Monday night at the Hytche Athletic Center.
The game was close from beginning to end and had 12 ties and eight lead changes. SC State (10-7, 3-3 MEAC) struck first on a trey from Hoard twenty seconds into the game. UMES (6-9, 3-2 MEAC) answered on the other end with a bucket by Moengaroa Subritzky with 19:16 left in the first half.
The teams traded baskets for the entire first half with no team leading by more than four points. The Lady Hawks took a 33-31 lead into halftime.
UMES mustered up a six-point lead, 40-34, after a pair of free throws at the 16:08 mark. But SC State went on a 14-16 run to take a 48-46 lead on a layup by
Brittany Drumgoole with 8:11 left in the game.
UMES broke a 52-all tie on a pair of free throws and extended the lead to five with another 3-pointer by Subritzky with 2:50 left. Howard drained yet another 3-pointer to get within two (57-55) and a steal and a fast-break bucket by
Jazzmine Johnson tied the game for the 12
th and final time.
Howard's final 3-pointer of the game, a clutch bucket with 57 seconds left, gave the Lady Bulldogs the lead for good. They went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to seal the win.
Subritzky started the first half hot, tallying 13 points, but the Lady Bulldog defense limited her to just three second-half points. She finished with a team-high 16 points. Jessica Long and Shauntesha Bryant each had 12 points.
Jasmine Coleman and
Kourtney Williams each scored eight points for SC State. Coleman led the defense with eight rebounds and added one block.
SC State hosts Norfolk State at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
