TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The Alabama A&M University women's basketball team didn't need to rally in this matchup against Florida A&M as the Bulldogs led from start to finish in picking up a 65-43 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory on Monday night against Florida A&M at the Al Lawson Center.
Alabama A&M (14-13 overall, 9-6 SWAC), which trailed by as many as 17 points on Feb. 3 in the first matchup, didn't need any late-game magic against the Rattlers in Tallahassee. The Bulldogs led by 20 late in the third quarter and didn't let off the gas in earning the win.
Amiah Simmons paced AAMU with 18 points, one board, one assist and one steal.
Victoria Dixon poured in 14 points, on 6-of-11 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Alisha Wilson posted a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points, along with two blocks, while
Jayla Cody added 10 boards.
Ahriahna Grizzle led Florida A&M (8-18, 7-8) with 15 points, four boards, three steals and one block. Sydney Hendrix chipped in 10 points, three boards and two steals, while Ivet Subirats grabbed a team-high 10 boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M jumped out to a 9-2 lead after a Wilson jumper with 5:43 reamining in the opening quarter
- The Bulldogs extended the advantage to 13-4 after a Chynell Mitchell layup with 3:29 left
- However, buckets by Jaliya Sharp and Grizzle closed the gap to 13-8 with just over two minutes to play
- A floating jumper by Simmons closed out the period as AAMU took a 17-10 lead into the second quarter
- A Darian Burgin layup pushed the margin to 19-10 with just under nine minutes remaining in the half
- A Subirats layup cut the deficit to 21-16 with 6:45 left
- The Bulldogs answered and stretched the advantage to 29-19 after a free throw by Simmons with 4:10 remaining
- FAMU got a jump shot by Grizzle with 51 seconds left as Alabama A&M took a 31-22 lead into the break
- The Bulldogs stretched the margin to 33-22 after a layup by Wilson with 8:40 left
- Back came Florida A&M, closing the deficit to 33-26 after a Grizzle bucket with 7:39 remaining
- Alabama A&M used an 8-0 run, capped by a Simmons jumper as the Bulldogs extended the lead to 42-26 with just over three minutes left in the third
- Free throws by Simmons gave the Bulldogs a commanding 51-31 lead with 26 seconds remaining, but the Rattlers closed the gap to 51-33 at the end of the third
- A Wilson triple gave AAMU a 54-33 advantage just 32 seconds into the final quarter
- Florida A&M could not recover as Alabama A&M completed the season sweep
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from the floor and 80.0 percent (16-of-20) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 50 rebounds, including 36 on the defensive glass
- Amiah Simmons registered 18 points, one board, one assist and one steal
- Victoria Dixon poured in 14 points, rebounds, two assists and two steals
- Alisha Wilson posted a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points, along with two blocks
- Jayla Cody added 10 boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 38 points in the paint, 21 bench points, 20 fastbreak points, 14 second-chance points and 14 points off 16 FAMU turnovers
- Florida A&M went 21-of-70 (30.0 percent) from the field and 1-of-4 (25.0 percent) from the foul line
- The Rattlers pulled down 38 rebounds, with 16 coming on the offensive glass
- Ahriahna Grizzle recorded 15 points, four boards, three steals and one block
- Sydney Hendrix chipped in 10 points, three boards and two steals
- Ivet Subirats grabbed a team-high 10 boards
- The Rattlers finished with 34 points in the paint, 12 bench points, 12 points off 19 AAMU turnovers, 10 second-chance points and eight fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns home for its final three games of the regular season, starting on Saturday against rival Alabama State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
