HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The Alabama A&M University women's basketball team honored four seniors prior to Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) regular season finale as the Bulldogs dropped their second consecutive game, 59-50, to Southern at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (15-15 overall, 10-8 SWAC) saw its five-game winning streak snapped on Thursday and closed out the regular season with the home loss. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs had already qualified for next week's SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament. Southern (15-14, 12-6) jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter and held off several late rally attempts.
Kaylah Turner led Alabama A&M with 13 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, while
Amiah Simmons registered 12 points, seven boards, one assist and one block.
Alisha Wilson posted a double-double of 15 rebounds and 10 points, along with one assist and one steal.
Taylor Williams paced the Jaguars with a game-high 21 points and six rebounds. Genovea Johnson and Aniya Gourdine each tallied 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Southern raced out to an 18-9 lead after a triple by Aniya Gourdine with 2:29 remaining in the first quarter
- The Bulldogs got a layup by Jayla Cody as time expired as Alabama A&M trimmed the margin to 18-11 after one period
- The Jaguars increased their lead to double digits, 24-14, after a layup by Williams with 7:55 left
- Back came AAMU as Alisha Wilson and Kaylah Turner drained buckets, closing the gap to 24-19, with 6:36 remaining
- Southern pushed it back to double digits with a fastbreak layup by Aniya Gourdine with 2:38 left
- Alabama A&M responded down the stretch, cutting the deficit to 31-28, on the heels of a 7-0 run, capped by a Turner jumper as time expired
- The Jaguars opened the second half with eight straight points, stretching the advantage to 39-28 after a Williams layup with 7:46 remaining
- Baskets by Darian Burgin and Wilson closed the deficit to 44-39 with 1:36 left
- A bucket by Simmons to open the fourth cut the margin to 46-41 with 9:41 remaining
- However, Southern responded with free throws by Johnson and Williams, along with a Williams layup, as the Jaguars pushed the advantage to 52-44 with 7:44 left
- The Jaguars continued to do their damage at the foul line, extending the lead to 54-44 after a free throw by Johnson with just over four minutes to play
- Alabama A&M never got any closer than 6 points during the final two minutes
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 32.8 percent (21-of-64) from the floor and 50.0 percent (2-of-4) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 39 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive glass
- Kaylah Turner recorded 13 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals
- Amiah Simmons registered 12 points, seven boards, one assist and one block
- Alisha Wilson posted a double-double of 15 rebounds and 10 points, along with one assist and one steal
- The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points, 11 points off 15 SU turnovers, seven bench points and six fastbreak points
- Southern went 22-of-54 shooting (40.7 percent) and 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Jaguars grabbed 36 rebounds, with 30 on the defensive glass
- Taylor Williams paced the Jaguars with a game-high 21 points and six rebounds
- Genovea Johnson and Aniya Gourdine each tallied 11 points
- The Jaguars finished with 28 points in the paint, 20 bench points, 18 points off 16 AAMU turnovers, 14 fastbreak points and six second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M advances to next week's SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will meet fourth seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the quarterfinals on Thursday from Bartow Arena. Tip-off against Golden Lions is set for 5:30 p.m.
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