MONTGOMERY, Ala. __ In the second game of the rivalry series this year, Alabama A&M women's basketball fell on the road to Alabama State on Saturday, 69-57, in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play inside the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Amani Free (Clay, N.Y.) was the lone Bulldog to finish in double figures, scoring a team-high 16 points to go along with three rebounds and a pair of steals.
Darian Burgin (Cincinnati, Ohio) added nine points and five boards, while
Jayla Cody (Valdosta, Ga.),
Toni Grace (Fishers, Ind.), and
Amiah Simmons (Osawatomie, Kan.) all added seven points on the day.
The first quarter saw both teams with multiple runs, as the period contained four total lead changes and one tie.
Neither team gained a significant advantage until the 1:56 mark, as Alabama State scored to gain a 16-15 lead and later closing the quarter with six more unanswered points to go into the second up 22-15.
The cold spell continued for A&M to open the next quarter, as Alabama State extended their run to go up 32-17 before a score inside from Free, the first field goal for the Bulldogs since the 2:15 mark in the first quarter. From there, the Hornets controlled the rest of the half, leading 41-25 at the break.
Taylor Smith (Fosters, Ala.) opened the second half with a score on the first possession for A&M, however the offensive struggles continued as they would not score again until the 5:29 mark, trailing 45-29. Alabama State took advantage of a 25 percent shooting quarter from the Bulldogs who entered the fourth down 50-34.
Alabama A&M began to fight back midway through the fourth, reducing the lead to just nine at 56-47 with 4:31 remaining and later at 60-51 with just under three to play before the Hornets controlled the momentum late to close out the game.
The Bulldogs shot 38.5 (20-for-52) percent from the floor, 33.3 (4-for-12) percent from three-point range, and 50.0 (13-for-26) percent from the free throw line in the loss. In comparison, the Hornets finished with shooting splits of 46.4 (26-for-56) percent from the field, 29.4 (5-for-17) percent from deep and 63.2 (12-for-19) percent from the free throw line in the contest.
Shmya Ward led ASU with a game-high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Ayana Emmanuel added 15 on the night. Two other Hornets landed in double figures with Jayla Crawford and DaKiyah Sanders scoring 12 and 11 points respectively.
Up Next
Alabama A&M will take their final regular season road trip next weekend, starting with a matchup against Grambling State on Thursday, March 2. Tip-off to start the doubleheader is set for 5 p.m. inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
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