MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In a back-and-forth affair, Alabama A&M (4-11, 2-3 SWAC) pushed rival Alabama State (5-9, 4-1 SWAC) with a fourth quarter rally before coming up just short as they fell by a 74-69 score in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Saturday, January 15.
 
Graduate guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) scored 19 of her game-high tying 20 points in the second half, adding four assists, while senior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) delivered an impressive double-double of 16 points, 14 boards and five blocks in 33 minutes.
 
Freshman guard Zhordan Shannon (Smyrna, Tenn.) added 10 points and four caroms and freshman guard Ja'Niah Alexander (Rex, Ga.) went 5-of-5 at the foul line to finish with seven points. Sophomore guard Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) rounded out the top performers with six points, all on free throws, and chipped in with five rebounds.
 
The clubs would battle through a pair of ties and two lead changes over the first five-plus minutes, the last two of which saw ASU go from down 4-2 at the 8:26 mark to up 9-4 nearly two and half minutes later. A&M would then use an 11-4 run to flip the script and pull ahead 15-13 by the end of the opening frame.
 
Neither team would be able to get anything going over the first 3:09 of the second as it remained a two-point margin, a fact that would change as ASU's Jada Nneji knotted it up with a layup at that point. A traditional three-point play by Alexander then put the Bulldogs back ahead only to see back-to-back buckets stake the Hornets to a 19-18 advantage with 5:06 to play in the half.
 
Alexander would answer back with a pair of free throws and Lewis with a jumper to turn the tables with a 4-0 burst but Alabama State's Tamirea Thomas converted an old school three-point play and Ayana Emmanuel followed with a triple for a 25-22 lead by the 3:13 mark.
 
Two more Alexander freebies would account for another 4-0 mini run that put A&M ahead but they would not stay there as ASU closed the half with seven straight points, five by Tyesha Rudolph, to head to the break up 32-26.
 
The Hornets would hold a seven-point lead three times over the first three minutes of the third quarter before taking a 37-32 advantage to 49-34 behind a 12-2 run in a span of 3:16. They would then maintain at least an 11-point margin before expanding to a 58-46 lead heading to the fourth.
 
Facing a double-digit deficit entering the final 10 minutes the Bulldogs came out firing, using a 13-4 run fueled by nine points from Jones. That burst narrowed the margin to 62-59 with 3:49 to play before five points from Emmanuel stretched back to an eight-point advantage a minute later.
 
A&M would battle back to within four, 70-66, with 48 seconds to play and eventually 72-69 behind a Jones triple but a pair of Ward free throws would salt away the 74-69 victory.
 
Rudolph led the Hornets with 20 points and three assists while Ward notched 16 points and six boards. Emmanuel delivered 12 points and three assists and Nneji came away with six points, five blocks and five caroms.
 
The Bulldogs return to action in a week's time when they travel to Houston, Texas to take on Texas Southern. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 22.