HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M (4-9, 2-1 SWAC) could not survive a frantic fourth quarter as they suffered their first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) defeat, falling 61-59 to Alcorn State (2-9, 1-1 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Saturday, January 8.
 
Senior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) delivered a dominant performance, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds – 10 of which came off the offensive glass – and added three blocks and a steal in 37 minutes to pace the Bulldogs. She would be joined by graduate guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) with a solid all-around game with 11 points, five assists, four boards and a pair of steals.
 
Junior guard Jill Harris (Navarre, Fla.) added 10 points and a pair of assists while sophomore guard Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipped in with six points and as many rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Graduate forward Teliyah Jeter (Taylors, S.C.) also had six points and six boards and freshman guard Zhordan Shannon (Smyrna, Tenn.) rounded out the top performers with six points and three caroms.
 
The teams would battle through four lead changes and two ties while remaining within four points of each other over the first 2:31 as the Braves took a 9-6 advantage early on. That would change dramatically over the final 7:21 of the opening frame as A&M exploded for a 16-2 run, fueled by six different scorers, to take a 22-11 lead heading into the second period.
 
Undaunted, Alcorn would cut the deficit to five on a pair of occasions, the last at 26-21 with 3:07 left in the half, before the Bulldogs scored nine of the next 11 points to take a 35-23 margin into the half. Harris and Lewis would score five and four points, respectively, to stake the club to that 12-point advantage.
 
Alabama A&M would maintain at least a nine-point advantage over the first 4:33 of the third, holding a 43-34 lead before the Braves turned things around. Over the remainder of the frame they would put together a commanding 10-1 run behind a pair of threes to knot it up at 44-44 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
It would remain a tight ballgame as the teams traded buckets in the opening minutes but the Bulldogs would ignite a 6-0 burst that put them ahead 52-46 by the 6:09 mark. The Braves would be far from done, however, as a triple by Diamond Hall jump started a 12-0 run fueled by five points from Tyninae Wright and four from Larae Rascoe to flip the script and put them ahead 58-52 with 2:34 to play.
 
Facing a sudden six-point deficit, the Bulldogs rallied behind a three and a pair of free throws by Jones, sandwiched around a Lewis layup, to battle back and retake the lead, 59-58, with 57 seconds to play. It would not hold up, however, as Zy'Nyia White drew a shooting foul with 16 seconds on the clock and proceeded to knock down both shots before Rascoe split a pair with four seconds to play to pull off the improbable 61-59 victory.
 
White led the way for Alcorn with 12 points, four boards and three assists in 32 minutes while Hall finished with 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Wright wasn't' far behind with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with three steals, a block and three rebounds. Rascoe chipped in with nine points and Maya Claytor and Akyriale Ford had eight and six points, respectively.
 
The Bulldogs are right back in action on Monday, January 10 as they take on Jackson State. Tip-off is set 5 p.m. at Elmore Gymnasium.
 
NOTES
Assistant coach Larry McNeil served as acting head coach with head coach Margaret Richards sidelined due to health and safety protocols.