Lakeisha Anderson scored 17 points and Tyree Mellion added 9 to lead the Southern Crescent Technical College women's basketball team in a 79-37 loss Friday night at the old Griffin High gym against Albany Tech.

It was the fifth loss in a row for Southern Crescent (0-5), which trailed 48-6 at the half and by as much as 72-18 in the second half before it started knocking down a few shots against Albany Tech (5-2) which won its fifth in a row.

"We started rebounding a little better and played more defense," Lady Tigers head coach John Pope said about his team's late-game surge. "Then their confidence got better after they hit a few baskets and kept hustling."

Leading the charge was Anderson, who scored 14 of her team-leading 17 points in the second half, while Mellion scored 6 of her 9 points in the second half and Schneatha Higgins scored all 7 of her points in the second half.

Toni Grier scored 17, Richuna Jackson 16, Tiara Grier 14, and Shunice Williams and Ashley Towns 9 each led Albany Tech which also had 8 points from LaTisha Williams.

Rounding out Southern Crescent's leading players were Joycelyn Morgan with 3 assists, Mellion with 2 steals and Higgins with 6 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.

Southern Crescent, which is a GJCAA Division III program, played seven players, while GJCAA Division I Albany Tech dressed out and played 12 players.

"We're relatively still young," said Pope. "It hurts playing against Division I programs that can recruit. What we have is what's walking around on campus."

Only in its third year of existence, the Tigers have opened this season losing to Chattahoochee Tech 107-44 and 92-55, Darton College 107-32, Denmark (S.C.) College 72-48 and Albany Tech as mentioned above.

"We're getting better," said Pope, whose team was on the road playing at Darton College (6-1) — winners of four in a row — on Saturday in Albany. "Hopefully, we can get better as the season goes on."

Southern Crescent is also hoping to a few players — to round out its roster — by the next semester.