Jacksonville, FL., -- The Edward Waters women's basketball team secured back-to-back home victories over Tuskegee and Erskine to kick start the 2025 calendar year.

The Lady Tigers defeated Tuskegee Monday night, 50-43 to move to the top of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) East Division Standings with a 5-2 mark in conference play. On Tuesday evening, Edward Waters garnered a 61-46 win over Erskine to improve to 9-3 overall on the season.

Senior guard Tatum Hayes got the start for the injured Mia Morel and scored a game high 14 points. Tatum shot 5-for-8 from the field including an impressive 4-for-6 from three-point range. She added five rebounds, two assists and one steal while playing all 40 minutes.

Edward Waters pressure defense held Tuskegee to just 31.6% shooting for the game. EWU was particularly stingy on the perimeter, only allowing one made three-point field goal in sixteen attempts.
Despite being outscored in paint, bench and second chance points the Lady Tigers never trailed in the ballgame and got contributions from the entire roster.

Senior center Imani Harris notched her first double-double of the season scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Simona Henshaw added nine points while securing a team high three steals, with two assists and two rebounds.

Nekaya Willaims and Taniah Bowers both chipped in six points apiece for EWU. Williams finished with two rebounds and two steals while Bowers dished out a team best five assists while notching four rebounds.

In the second half on Edward Waters' back-to-back contests against Erskine, they kept applying their full court pressure defense. The Lady Tigers held the Flying Fleet to just 24.4% shooting as a team for the ball game. EWU also forced Erskine into 19 total turnovers that led to 22 points for the home squad.

In this matchup the Lady Tigers dominated the points inside painted area scoring 34 to the Flying Fleet's 26. All nine Edward Waters players scored in the contest.

Senior forward Simona Henshaw led EWU with 12 points and seven rebounds, both team highs. Henshaw shot 4-fo4-9 from the floor and to go along with four assists, two blocks and two steals.

Tatum Hayes and Nekaya Williams both compiled 11 points apiece. Hayes knocked down three triples and snagged a team high of four steals. Willaims collected six rebounds and two steals. E'laijha Brown tallied nine points, dished out five assists, corralled two rebounds and two steals.

Edward Waters enter the thick of their SIAC East Division schedule as they hit the road to face Fort Valley State and Albany State. The Lady Tigers to play FVSU on Saturday, Jan 11 at 1:00 p.m. inside the HPE Basketball Arena before wrapping up their road trip against ASU on Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. inside the HPER Complex.

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