HUNTSVILLE – In their second Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest of the year, the Alabama A&M women's basketball program defeated Mississippi Valley State at home on Wednesday evening inside the Event Center.

The Bulldogs (4-8, 2-0 SWAC) started slowly in the early part of the game, finding themselves down 9-4 within the first four minutes of action, heading into the first media timeout.
 
Minutes later, Amiah Simmons (Osawatomie, Kan.) sank her first three to spark an 8-0 run to give A&M their first lead of the game at 12-9 with 2:45 left in the opening period. Alabama A&M made another run not long after, going up six after consecutive scores from Amani Free (Clay, N.Y.) and took a 21-12 lead going into the second.
 
The Bulldogs gained their first double-digit lead of the night with 8:20 remaining in the half at 26-16, yet the Delta Devilettes made a push shortly after, reducing the lead to six at the media break and just two points with just over four minutes to play.
 
From that point, the two teams traded runs to finish the half, as they found themselves tied at 39-39 at the 1:11 mark before a score inside from Jayla Cody (Valdosta, Ga.) gave the Bulldogs a 41-39 lead at the half.
 
The third quarter proved to be the crucial stretch of the game for Alabama A&M, as they held Mississippi Valley to just six points in the frame and just 27 percent from the field in the frame. Free led the way with six points in the quarter that saw a 12-0 run and a 17-point lead heading into the final ten minutes of play.
 
The Bulldogs maintained control in the fourth, holding a 20-point lead at stretches during the period. MVSU made a final push with around four minutes to play as they cut the lead to ten, however a pair of scores in the final minute helped secure the win 77-62 win.
 
A&M finished the game outscoring Mississippi Valley in points in the paint (28-22), points off turnovers (20-15), and second chance points (18-8), however trailed in fast break points and bench points, 9-2 and 36-29 respectively.
 
Offensively, the Bulldogs finished the game shooting 44.8 (26-for-58) percent from the field, 45.5 (10-for-22) percent from long range, and 71.4 (15-for-21) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Mississippi Valley finished with splits of 43.1 (25-for-58) percent from the field, 36 (9-for-25) from three, and 30 (3-for-10) percent from the free throw line.

Krisen Hunt led the way for MVSU with a game-high 22 points, while Anjanae Mueck added 14 points. Free finished with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds to lead the Bulldogs on the night, followed by Simmons who added 12 points and seven boards, and Jayla Cody (Valdosta, Ga.) who also nearly finished with a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds in the win.
 
Up Next
A&M will return to action with a road matchup on Saturday, January 7, for their third straight SWAC contest as they take on Alcorn State. Game time for the first part of the doubleheader inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex is set for 2 p.m.

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