BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 7, 2015)-Kenyata Hendrix scored a game-high 20 points and Bria Dorsey added 19, as the visiting Lady Tigers of Savannah State defeated Morgan State, 72-58 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field House.
 
It was the first regular season meeting between the two teams since Jan. 14, 2013, a 60-58 win by Morgan State in Baltimore. Last season the Lady Tigers defeated Morgan State, 82-71 in the opening round of the MEAC Tournament (5/10/14).
 
The win was the second straight for Savannah State over Morgan State, which improved to 4-3 all-time against the Lady Bears. The victory was also the Lady Tigers' first at Hill Field House in three tries and for the moment moved them into a tie for second-place with Norfolk State, a team they beat earlier in the season and hold the tie-breaker over. Norfolk State plays host to Howard later in the day.
 
Savannah State (11-10, 6-3 MEAC), which has now won four of its last five games, also received a double-double out of Tiyonda Davis, who finished with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Davis also added a game-high three blocked shots to give her a team-best 44.
 
Tracey Carrington finished with 14 points and Braennan Farrar added 13 in the loss for Morgan State, who has now lost two straight at home. Simone Sampson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and Lexus Spears added eight boards to help Morgan State hold a 47-40 rebounding advantage over Savannah State.
 
The Lady Bears (8-13, 5-4 MEAC), who with a win would be sitting in the very spot in the league standings that Savannah State now sits, came out flat to open the game and was just out played and out husseled in the second half.
 
The visiting Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, before taking a 10-point advantage (14-4), following a layup by Shanikwa Buie with 13:16 to play.
 
But Morgan State, who was being coached by assistant coach Edward Davis, who took over for head coach Donald Beasley, who was sick, responded with an 11-4 run to pull within 18-15.
 
The Lady Bears then put together a 10-5 run to even the score at 25 all after a basket by Spears with 4:28 to play.
 
Back-to-back baskets by Dinah Jones and Carrington evened the score at 31, but the guests would get a layup by Jasmine Norman to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.
 
Savannah State opened up the second half scoring the first eight points in part of a 10-3 run to increase its lead to 43-34. The lead grew to 16 points (57-41) with 10:06 remaining as the guests went on a 12-5 run in just under four minutes.
 
Morgan State used a 15-9 spurt to get within 10 points at 66-56 with 1:52 to play, but would get no closer.
 
Savannah State would shot 40 percent (25-of-62) from the floor and was 4-of-8 (50 percent) from three-point range. The Lady Tigers outscored Morgan State 36-16 in the paint and also held a 14-0 advantage in fast break points over Morgan State.
 
The Lady Bears finished the game shooting 28.8 percent (17-of-59) and were 3-of-13 (23 percent) from three-point range.
 
Both teams shot 27 free throws with Savannah State hitting 18 for 66.7 percent. Morgan State knocked down 21 free throws for 77.8 percent.
 
Led by Dorsey and Hendrix, who each recorded a game-high four assists, Savannah State finished the game with 15 assists. The Lady Tigers also recorded 14 steals, as Dorsey and Kalu had a game-high four steals apiece.
 
Morgan State tallied just five assists the entire game with Farrar and Danielle Robinson recording a team-high two assists each. Farrar led Morgan State with three of the team's seven steals.  
 
The Lady Bears close out their mini two-game homestand on Monday, Feb. 9, when they host South Carolina State at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Coppin State, 68-58 on Saturday.