Box Score

HUNTSVILLE ^__ The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern outlasted the Lady Bulldogs and defeated A&M, 65-58, on Saturday in a fast-paced SWAC battle.

Deshawna Harper led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points and five rebounds in the loss. Forward Dariauna Lewis recorded her seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Quarter-by-Quarter

• Alabama A&M opened the scoring in the fast paced game with a jumper by Dariauna Lewis on the first possession of the game. The two teams traded baskets and found themselves tied at 11 at the 6:18 mark in the opening quarter before Texas Southern went on a 7-2 run over the next two minutes to take an 18-13 lead, and finished the quarter leading 24-17.
• The Lady Bulldogs stormed back in the second, opening the quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 27-26 lead at the 5:22 mark in the quarter. The Lady Tigers responded to regain the lead a minute later, and did not surrender it for the remainder of the half. Deshawna Harper led Alabama A&M in the first half with 11 points, as the Lady Bulldogs trailed at intermission 33-31.
• The two teams continued their tight contest in the third, as they traded baskets and neither team gained more than a two-point lead until the final minute of the quarter. After two free throws by Tierra Dark, the Lady Bulldogs went up 46-42 with 1:25 remaining in the quarter, and headed into the fourth with a 46-44 lead.
• Texas Southern opened the final frame with a 4-0 run to reclaim the lead with 8:28 to play, before the squads traded buckets for the next few possessions and went into a media timeout at the 4:58 mark with the Tigers leading 52-50. A&M tied the game at 52 with 4:07 to play, and took a 55-54 lead on a three pointer with three minutes remaining. However, the Lady Bulldogs fell victim to another run by the Tigers, this time a 11-3 run which closed out the game for the 65-58 final.

Post-Game Notes

• Alabama A&M starters: Nigeria Jones, DeShawna Harper, Jameica Cobb, Dariauna Lewis, Lazurea Saunders
• The Lady Bulldogs shot 21-for-55 (38.2 percent) from the field as a team for the game, 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from the three-point line and 13-for-28 from the charity stripe (46.4 percent).
• Texas Southern won the battle of the painted area, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 24-20 in the lane during the contest.
• Alabama A&M won the rebounding battle in the matchup, outrebounding Texas Southern 42-35. The Lady Bulldogs grabbed 15 offensive boards for nine second chance points, while Lady Tigers grabbed 10 offensive boards and scored six second chance points.
• Bench production for TXSU proved to be a big factor in the contest, as they outscored the Lady Bulldog bench 29-8 in the contest.
• Turnovers: A&M won the turnover battle, forcing TXSU to turn the ball over 18 and scored 12 points off the miscues. The Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over 16 times and allowed 11 points off of their mistakes. 

Up Next­
The Lady Bulldogs play the second of the two-game home stand as they host Prairie View on Feb 3 at 5:30 p.m. before hitting the road next weekend to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb. 8 and Mississippi Valley on Feb. 10.

For more information on the Lady Bulldog basketball team, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@aamuwbb) and Instagram (@aamuwbb). For more on all Bulldogs sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of AAMU Athletics on Twitter (@AAMUBulldogs), Facebook (Facebook.com/aamubulldogs) and Instagram (@AAMUathletics).