March 7, 2008

Cleveland, Tenn. - Southern Polytechnic State University (18-12) pulled off the first upset in the women's bracket of the SSAC tournament by defeating fourth-seeded Shorter College (20-11) 66-50 on Thursday evening.

Sandra Kostandinovic poured in 18 points for the Lady Hawks. She made 6-of-12 shots from the field and 2-of-5 3-pointers while collecting four rebounds. Nicole Frechette posted a double-double for the Lady Hawks. She tallied 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Tamara Weatherby tallied nine points but no other Shorter player had more than four points.

Southern Poly shot 43 percent from the field and made 9-of-15 free throws. Shorter won the rebounding battle 27-26, but the Lady Hawks were able to force the Hornets into just 13 turnovers.

Southern Poly's bench also played a key role in the victory, outscoring Shorter 36-12 in points off the bench. The Hornets also dominated inside, outscoring the Lady Hawks 38-20 in the paint.