Box Score ORANGEBURG, SC – South Carolina State scored the last three points of the game, all from the charity stripe, to eke out a 54-51 triumph over Maryland Eastern Shore Monday, snapping a five-game Lady Bulldog losing streak.
Graduate guard
Bryeasha Blair tossed in 15 points and tied two teammates for team rebounding honors with six to lead Coach Doug Robertson's squad to its first conference win of the season. Jasmine Williams added 12 points and Kyesha Lewis and Esther Udonis 11 each in the victory, which lifted SC State to 6-10 overall and 1-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Lewis and Udonsi also had six rebounds each in the contest, which featured 15 lead changes and eight deadlocks.
The visiting Lady Hawks were paced by Bairesha Gill-Miles with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Martha Thompson added 10 points in the loss. UMES dipped to 5-13 and 1-4 in the league.
SC State survived a poor-shooting night at the free throw line – where Robertson's team missed 14 of 32 chances – but made 3-6 in the final minute to earn the win. Junior guard Kemoni Jenkins got her only points of the night with two free throws to give her team a 53-51 edge with 52.7 seconds left.
The Lady Bulldogs forced a Lady Hawk turnover with 41.4 seconds left but failed to add to the lead when point guard Kerry Watson was off on two attempts from the line with 15.1 showing, however, SC State's Jasmine Williams grabbed the rebound -- her fifth of the night -- and Robertson's team took a timeout.
Lewis was fouled with 11.3 ticks left on the clock and made 1-2 from the line for a three-point 54-51 advantage and survived a three-point attempt by UMES' as time expired to hold on for the win.
"The game was another struggle for our team, but we prevailed," said Robertson. "We continue to find ways to give teams more opportunities. Tonight, it was the free throw line where we couldn't convert a number of chances.
"But, we turned them over a couple of times in the final minute and a half and made just enough free throws in the closing seconds to prevail. I'll take the win, and we seem to play a little bit better each time out."
The Lady Bulldogs led 17-9 after one quarter but the visitors closed the gap to 29-24 at the half. UMES outscored SC State 13-7 in the third to take a 37-36 lead to the final period, in which Robertson's team enjoyed an 18-14 advantage.
SC State will play the third contest of a four-game MEAC home stand Saturday when the Lady Bulldogs host Norfolk State in the first-game of a doubleheader, beginning at 2 p.m.
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