HUNTSVILLE __The Lady Bulldogs used an explosive first quarter to cruise by Alcorn State on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Lady Braves 64-50 in Elmore Gymnasium.
Sophomore forward Dariauna Lewis finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds, her ninth double-double of the season, to lead the Bulldogs. Junior DeShawna Harper recorded 16 points and four rebounds, while forward Lazurea Saunders finished the game with a season-high 12 points and 9 rebounds in the 64-50 win.
Quarter-by-Quarter
- The Lady Bulldogs came out hot, jumping out to a 10-2 lead at the halfway point of the first quarter, and stretched the lead as large as 17-2 with 4:16 left in the frame, before closing the quarter up 17-6.
- The second quarter brought on more of the same, with A&M scoring the first four points of the quarter to gain a 15-point lead at 21-6 with 6:27 to play in the half. The Lady Braves responded with an eight-point run, pulling the score to single digits at 21-14 with just over five to play, before the Bulldogs got back on track to finish the half leading 32-20. Forward Dariauna Lewis finished the first half with 12 points and 9 rebounds, while guard DeShawna Harper had 10 points and 4 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
- Coming out of the break, the teams traded scores for the first half of the third period, with A&M gaining a double-digit lead once again going up 37-26 and 40-28, before going into the final quarter with their biggest lead of the game so far at 51-31.
- The Lady Braves found themselves down 22 to start the fourth, however battled back and tried to make a run back into the game. The Lady Bulldogs saw their lead dwindle to 11 points but held off Alcorn and did not allow it to get to single-digits, and finished the game with a 64-50 win.
Post-Game Notes
- Alabama A&M starters: Nigeria Jones, Tierra Dark, Jameica Cobb, Dariauna Lewis, Lazurea Saunders
- The Lady Bulldogs shot 25-for-53 (47.2 percent) from the field as a team for the game, 5-for-15 (33.3 percent) from the three-point line and 9-for-13 from the charity stripe (69.2 percent).
- Alabama A&M won the battle of the painted area, outscoring Alcorn 26-22 in the lane during the contest.
- The Lady Bulldogs also won the rebounding battle in the matchup, outrebounding the Lady Braves 48-26. A&M grabbed 14 offensive boards for 12 second chance points, while Alcorn grabbed nine offensive boards for seven second chance points.
- Bench production proved equal in the contest, as both bench units provided 18 points to their respective teams.
- Turnovers: Alcorn won the turnover battle, forcing A&M into 15 turnovers and scored 14 points off the miscues. The Lady Braves turned the ball over 13 times and allowed seven points off of their mistakes.
Up Next
The Lady Bulldogs will play at home on Monday as they host Southern at 5:30 p.m. before hitting the road for the last regular season road trip of the year in Texas as they play Texas Southern on Feb. 29 and Prairie View A&M on Mar. 2, both at 5:30 p.m.
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