THIBODAUX, La. – Alabama A&M (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) delivered clutch shooting and rallied on multiple occasions but could not overcome a late 9-0 run in a 60-55 loss at Nicholls State (3-0, 0-0 Southland) in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Sunday, November 13.
 
Junior guard Taylor Smith (Fosters, Ala.) led the Bulldogs with 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc while graduate forward Amani Free (Clay, N.Y.) finished with eight points, six boards and four steals.
 
Graduate guard Toni Grace (Fishers, Ind.) delivered 12 points, four assists and a pair of steals and junior center Jayla Cody (Valdosta, Ga.) finished with six caroms, three steals, two assists and two blocks. Sophomore guard Amiah Simmons (Osawatomie, Kan.) rounded out the top performers with nine points.
 
It would be a back-and-forth affair throughout the first eight minutes as the teams battled through four lead changes and a pair of ties before the Bulldogs managed a narrow 10-9 advantage at the 1:56 mark. A triple by Simmons and two free throws from Smith then extended the lead to 15-9 before Nicholls' Kayla Keshmeshian split a pair of freebies to make it a five-point margin heading to the second.
 
Back-to-back jumpers by Grace made it 19-13 before Lexi Alexander scored eight points in the Colonels' 10-4 run that deadlocked it at 23-23 with 5:18 left in the half. A jumper by Smith and a long ball from Free then took back the lead at 28-23 before the clubs would head to the break with a 30-26 margin.
 
They would remain within that four-point margin with A&M holding a 36-32 advantage just under three minutes into the third period. At that point Nicholls used an 8-0 run behind four different scorers to flip the script and take a 40-36 lead at the 3:05 mark.
 
Grace would then convert a traditional three-point play to key a 5-1 burst that tied it up 41-41 less than 30 seconds later. It would not stay that way, however, as the NSU took six of the next seven points for a 47-42 lead before closing the frame with a three-point margin following a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Shaunice Reed (Seattle, Wash.).
 
Neither team could gain any traction over the first minute and a half but when they did it would be Alabama A&M that did so. That would take the form of back-to-back triples by Smith to tie and then take the lead 50-47 with two minutes gone by in the fourth. The Colonels would then use a 6-0 run to pull back ahead at 51-50 only to see Smith strike again, nailing her third three of the day for a 53-51 lead with 5:27 to play.
 
Simmons would follow with a fastbreak layup to push to a four-point margin but that would be it for the Bulldogs. Over the remaining 5:04 they would be held scoreless as Nicholls State scored the final nine points, six on free throws by Keshmeshian, to pull off the come-from-behind 60-55 victory.
 
Alexander delivered a mammoth game to lead the Colonels, finishing with 15 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks while Deonna Brister had 14 points, five caroms and three assists in 38 minutes. Hamilton added 12 points, five boards and four assists and Keshmeshian rounded out the top performers with 12 points, going 7-of-10 from the line.
 
Alabama A&M heads home for the first time this year, and the last time at Elmore Gymnasium, when they host Samford on Thursday, November 17. That game is slated to be the last for the program in venerable building before moving to the new State-of-the-Art Events Center later this month. Game time is slate for 5 p.m.