DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A dominating 17-0 run in the first half and 13-2 stretch in the fourth anchored Alabama A&M's (11-13, 9-5 SWAC) 68-54 victory at Bethune-Cookman (4-18, 2-10 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Saturday, February 19.
 
Graduate guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) lit it up for 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added three assists and three rebounds to pace the Bulldogs while senior center Jada Clowers (Macon, Ga.) registered a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards in 25 minutes of work.
 
Joining them were graduate forward Kierra Johnson-Graham (Atlanta, Ga.) and junior guard Jill Harris (Navarre, Fla.) with 12 points apiece. Senior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) finished with six points but recorded yet another double-digit rebound effort with 10 on the afternoon.
 
A&M would jump out to leads of 8-2 and 10-4, the latter at the 3:36 mark, before the Wildcats found their footing with a pair of jumpers from Camary Harris to help them close the opening frame down just 12-8. Another Harris jumper to start the second, followed by a bucket and a pair of free throws from Kayla Clark, then drew them even at 14-14 with 6:50 showing on the clock.
 
It would be a far different game from there, however, as the Bulldogs erupted for an unfettered 17-0 run to take a commanding 31-14 lead with just 20 seconds left in the half. That massive run would feature seven points apiece from Johnson-Graham and Jones and led to a 31-17 advantage at the break.
 
The third quarter would see them build their lead to a 19-point spread on a pair of occasions, the last at 40-21 with 7:19 on the clock. A quick 5-0 burst would help fuel an 8-2 stretch that narrowed the gap to 42-29 by the 3:29 mark before the Bulldogs took a 45-31 margin into the fourth.
 
B-CU would rally in that frame, getting to within just five points, 55-50, with just under three minutes to play. From there, however, Jones would drop nine of her points in a game-clinching 13-2 run that spanned just 2:07 and locked up the 68-54 victory.
 
Harris led the Wildcats with 13 points and was joined by Tania White with 11 points and four rebounds. Clark came away with nine points and seven boards and Kayla White wasn't far behind with nine points an six caroms.
 
The Bulldogs have a quick turnaround as they head to Tallahassee, Florida to take on Florida A&M on Monday, February 21. That game is slated for a 4:30 p.m. (CST) tip.