THE HILL | For the third consecutive year, the Alabama A&M women's basketball team (11-6, 4-1 SWAC) emerged victorious against Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in-state foe Alabama State University, as the Bulldogs defeated the Hornets (4-13, 2-3 SWAC ) 54-47 on Saturday afternoon.

Two Bulldogs finished in double figures, paced by senior guard Lauryn Pendleton's 17 points and two steals. Kalia Walker picked up 13 points, going a perfect six of six from the foul line. Mailyn Wilkerson added nine points of her own, including scoring three of the four triples the Bulldogs made. The Bulldogs led by as many as 10 in the victory.

In Alabama State's third straight road loss, the Hornets saw 11 points from Kaitlyn Bryant. Both Alanah Pooler and Cordasia Harris contributed seven points, while Harris led the Hornet defense with eight rebounds. The Hornets still lead 26-19 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs.  

HOW IT HAPPENED  

The visitors scored first but a three pointer from beyond the arc gave the Bulldogs a slim one-point lead 
Lauryn Pendleton drove to the net twice and drew a foul both times to put the Bulldogs up three points with just over two minutes remaining in the opening frame (10-7) 
Justina Graham hit a jumper with just 10 seconds remaining to close the quarter (10-9) 
The contest leveled at 13 all before Kalia Walker sunk a triple and added two foul shots to put the Maroon and White in front by three (18-15) 
Walker scored once more to send the teams to the break with the Bulldogs on top, 20-17 
The Hornets scored four consecutive points to tie the frame at 21, but Wilkerson responded with another triple to take the lead 
Darian Burgin recorded three consecutive free throws to give AAMU its largest lead to that point (31-25) 
ASU outscored the Bulldogs 5-4 over a minute and a half, but the host team still ended the stanza with control, 34-32 
Wilkerson opened the final frame with a triple to extend Alabama A&M's upper hand 
The Hornets scored for consecutive to get within one to prompt a Bulldog stoppage
A 3-0 run from the visitors tied the contest at 39-39, but Aniya Palmer forced an ASU turnover and scored a layup at the other end to put the Bulldogs ahead again
AAMU took a five-point lead off a three-point play from Pendleton 
ASU picked up a pair of foul baskets, but Pendleton responded quickly with an uncontested jumper with just under two minutes remaining in regulation (48-42) 
Walker drove to the basket to add a pair of points to the Bulldog tally
Walker shot a pair of free throws which solidified the game in favor of the host, 54-47 

GAME NOTES  

• Alabama A&M shot 33.3 percent (16-of-48) from the field and 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from beyond the arc 
• AAMU went 18-31 (58.1 percent) from the line 
• The Bulldogs grabbed 38 total rebounds, 24 of them defensively  
• Lauryn Pendleton paced the Bulldogs with 17 points and two steals 
• Kalia Walker also finished in double figures, adding 13 points, including going six of six from the line 
• Jaiyah Harris-Smith led the Bulldog defense, grabbing 10 rebounds and two steals 
• The Bulldogs finished with 14 points in the paint, 19 bench points, 13 second chance points and 17 points from 15 Hornet turnovers 
• AAMU grabbed eight steals compared to ASU's three 
• Alabama State shot 30.9 percent (17-of-55) from the field, 73.3 percent from the line (11-of-15) and 11.1 percent (2-18) from behind the arc 
• ASU grabbed 39 rebounds  
• Kaitlyn Bryant scored 11 points  
• Both Alanah Pooler and Cordasia Harris contributed seven points, with Harris also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds 
• The Hornets saw 26 points in the paint, 33 bench points and tallied 14 points from 15 Bulldog turnovers 

UP NEXT  

The Bulldogs return to the hardwood on Thursday, January 23 to take on the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the AAMU Event Center with live streaming available via Bulldogs All-Access.