Wilberforce, Ohio-A game that was a back and forth affair, got away late from Edward Waters in a 82-74 road loss against Central State in their SIAC opener at Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Edward Waters (4-2, 0-1 SIAC) and Central State (1-3, 1-0 SIAC) traded the lead 11 times throughout the contest as both teams fired shots at each other. After tying the contest 20-20 at the end of the first quarter, CSU ultimately took the lead at halftime, 42-38, thanks to some late shots just before the buzzer.

The Lady Tigers were able to retake the lead early in the third quarter, leading by as many as three points. Central State was able to fire back with a run to close the quarter and take a 65-63 lead into the fourth quarter. The Marauders extended their advantage in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as five points at the midway mark. Edward Waters was only able to come as close as four points of retaking the lead, before another CSU run and some key defensive stops, pushed the contest out of reach for the Purple & Orange. 

For EWU, the difference was their inability to rebound the basketball as the Lady Tigers were soundly outrebounded 60-43, including a 23-11 edge in offensive rebounding. 25 second chance points for CSU as opposed to just 11 for EWU did not help matters either. 

Tatum Hayes turned in a game high 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including going 4-of-9 from three point range. Jourdan Avery was solid off of the Lady Tigers bench, turning in 11 points and seven rebounds on the afternoon.

Edward Waters will close their six-game road trip on Monday evening in another SIAC contest against Kentucky State with tip-off set for 5:30pm.

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