Darnell Porter scored 15 points to lead South Carolina State to a 64-59 victory over Delaware State in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs (10-21), who earned a quarterfinal berth opposite top-seeded Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday, took the lead for good when Westley Telafare hit a 3-pointer with 11:57 to go, making it 40-38. The Bulldogs made 6 of 9 from 3-point range and shot 48.8 percent from the field overall (21 of 43).
The Hornets (9-21), who lost their eighth straight, shot only 40.4 percent (21 of 52). Jay Threatt was their only consistent source of offense, making 7 of 11 shots and scoring 20 points. But his teammates made only 14 of 41 shots (34.1 percent).
South Carolina State outrebounded Delaware State 34-23, partly compensating for committing six more turnovers than the Hornets (15-9).
