March 6, 2008
Final Stats
Christian Malone netted a game high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting to lead the Bulldogs (13-13,11-6 SWAC) to a 65-57 victory over the visiting Jackson State University Tigers (15-12,13-4 SWAC) at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium on Thursday evening. With the win, the Bulldogs have secured a No. 3 seed in the SWAC Tournament. A&M is back in action on Sat. March 8 to face Grambling State at 2 p.m. for senior day and to close out regular season play.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before a layup by Felicia Drummond ignited A&M to score four straight points to take a 6-5 advantage at the 15:23 mark. The Bulldogs went on a 15-3 run in the last seven minutes, capped by a Rebekkah Barnes triple, for a 28-17 margin at the half.
Drummond paced AAMU with 10 points in the first 20 minutes. Jackson State was held to a stifling 28 percent shooting clip (7-of-25), while A&M was 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from the floor.
The Bulldogs increased their lead to 13 (30-17) in the opening minute of the second half, but JSU went on a 7-2 run to cut it to eight, 32-24, with 15:58 on the clock. A&M countered the attack with a 13-8 run of its own to extend the spread back to 13. The Tigers proceeded to chip away at the lead over the proceeding six-plus minutes, and rattled of five straight to pull to within six, 54-48, with 4:45 remaining in regulation. JSU would get no closer than that as AAMU held on for the 65-57 win.
In addition to Malone's 18 points, Drummond finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes of action. Katrich Williams tallied 12 points, including a 7-of-10 mark from the charity stripe. Ashleonte' Samuel chipped in with eight points and five boards. For the Tigers, LaSharee Christian paced her team with 16 points and Erica Trahan had 14.
As a team, the Bulldogs scored 23 points off 25 Tiger miscues. However, JSU finished with a 40-34 advantage on the boards.
A&M will close out its regular season on Saturday March 8 against Grambling State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs have clinched the No. 3 seed in the SWAC Tournament and will play March 13 at Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, AL.
