HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Alabama A&M's (9-13, 7-5 SWAC) upperclassmen tandem of graduate guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) and senior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) combined for 33 points and 24 boards in a 53-47 victory over Mississippi Valley State (3-17, 2-10 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on February 12.
 
Jones erupted for a game-high 22 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals while playing all 40 minutes and Lewis yanked down 16 boards with 11 points and a pair of blocks. They were joined by graduate forward Teliyah Jeter (Taylors, S.C.) with six points and three caroms and sophomore guard Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) with five points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.
 
MVSU would notch six of the first eight points over the first 4:46 in a low scoring affair before A&M rallied to take a 12-10 lead at the end of the frame with a 10-4 stretch fueled by six points from Jones.
 
The second quarter would see them extend to a 16-12 advantage by the 7:10 mark before back-to-back triples by Mikayla Etienne and Krisen Hunt flipped the script and put the Devilettes up 18-16 with 5:20 left in the half. That would be all they would get, however, as the Bulldogs defense locked in, holding them scoreless the rest of the way while notching three layups for a 22-18 lead heading into the break.
 
Alabama A&M would build on that lead as they pushed to a 33-22 margin behind an 11-4 run over the first 5:09 with six of those delivered by Jones. With the lead at 35-24, MVSU found their offense as they mounted a 7-2 run to close the gap to 37-31 by the end of the frame.
 
A three by Hunt in the opening minute of the fourth then sparked an 8-2 stretch that cut it all the way 40-39 with 6:24 to play. A pair of A&M layups then extended to a five-point advantage that would eventually grow to 48-40 with 1:42 to play. From there they would allow the Devilettes to get within four points before salting away the 53-47 victory.
 
Sarah Moore led the way for MVSU with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Etienne and Hunt had 11 and nine points, respectively. Ronni Williams rounded out the top performers with four points, five caroms, six assists and four steals.
 
The Bulldogs wrap up a mini two-game homestand as they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday, February 14. Tip-off is set 5:30 p.m. at Elmore Gymnasium.
 
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