WILBERFORCE, Ohio – Taleah Dilworth leads Kentucky State with 29 points and Hilani Cantone hits the game winner to defeat Central State 82-81, Thursday night in Wilberforce, Ohio.
 
How it Happened
Taleah Dilworth scored 16 points going 100% (8-of-8) from the charity stripe and 4-of-5 from the field. She led Kentucky State on a 12-2 run that led to a 27-19 Kentucky State lead at the end of the first quarter.

Kentucky State held Central State scoreless for 2:58 and went on an 11-0 run during the second quarter. The Marauders took the quarter 19-17.

The Thorobreds bench led the first half outscoring the Central State bench 28-22. They would capitalize off of turnovers scoring 18 points, and the Thorobreds bench would lead the half with 22 points compared to Central States 15. Dilworth led her team with 22 points and gave the Thorobreds a 44-38 lead at halftime.

The third quarter came down to the final moments after the Marauders tied the game. Hannah Henderson regained the Kentucky State lead on a three-pointer, giving her team a 58-56 lead with 52 seconds left in the third. Central States Katrina Maros tied the game on a layup to close the quarter tied at 60-60.

Early in the fourth quarter (9:28), Gracen Kerr hit a long-range shot to give the Thorobreds a 63-60 lead. A three-pointer by Central States Ciara Hardy would give the Marauders an 80-79 lead with eight seconds left in regulation. The Marauders thought they had won the contest with a good free throw from Laurene Tere, extending their lead to 81-79 with less than ten seconds remaining in the game. Hilani Cantone answered with a clutch corner three to give Kentucky State an 82-81 win.

Dilworth had a great night, scoring 29 points, missing one out of her 14 attempts at the free throw line. Laurie Thomas successfully earned a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds; she led her team with three steals. Henderson had a notable performance of 16 points while leading the Thorobreds with two blocks.
 
Post-Game Comments
Head Coach Terrance Slater's opening statement, he said, "It was emotional obviously. We are super shorthanded right now, and this week we talked on making sure that they communicate and make sure they pay attention to small details. We had a couple of miscues, but outside of that, I'm proud of the way they fought. Obviously, I'm proud of Hilani, for having the courage to be able to shoot that last shot and knock it down. I'm just super proud of our fight and just tenacity today."
 
Cantone was excited about her game-winning shot, "It feels good. Especially against our rivals. I'm just proud of my team for keeping me in the game mentally." Cantone said.
 
Dilworth had a great night scoring 29, "That's something that she can do every single night it's just making sure she got the right focus and just being aggressive. So, we tell her all the time like you are one of the best guards in the league, and she's got to just believe in it. But she was huge for us today." Head Coach Slater after the game.
   
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