JACKSON, Miss. | The Alabama A&M University women's basketball team is set to travel to Mississippi for the their first pair of road conference matches. The Bulldogs will face Jackson State Tigers on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. On Saturday, AAMU will face the Alcorn State Braves at 1 p.m. in Lorman, Mississippi.
The Bulldogs hit the road after opening Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play with a pair of home victories. Alabama A&M saw five Bulldogs in double figures in the victory over Mississippi Valley State, including a career-high 21 points in 20 minutes from Kourtney Rittenberry. Alisha Wilson added 13 points and 15 rebounds and Aniya Palmer totaled 12 points and six rebounds. Both Lauryn Pendleton and Darian Burgin contributed 11 points each.
In the first conference doubleheader, the Bulldogs topped the Golden Lions of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Wilson earned her 1000th career point in her 13 point, 14 rebound performance, which marked her sixth double-double of the season, and fourth in a row. Burgin led the Bulldog offense, picking up a season-high 18 points. She earned SWAC Impact Player of the Week for her performance in the conference opening weekend.
The Tigers look to earn their second SWAC victory, after defeating the Braves 67-64 in a home thriller. JSU saw three players score in double figures, led by Taleah Dilworth's 19 points. Jaileyah Cotton added 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Leianya Massenat contributed 11 points of her own. The Tiger defense was paced by Shalance Montoya, who grabbed 10 rebounds. Thursday's contest is the first time the Bulldogs and Tigers will meet with former AAMU head coach Margaret Richards at the helm of the Jackson State program. Jackson State was predicted to finish fourth overall in the preseason poll, earning four first-place votes.
The Braves look to snap a four-game losing streak and pick up their first home win in conference play, after dropping the tight contest to JSU. Three players finished in double figures, led by Destiny Brown's 16 points and eight rebounds. Zy'Nyia White followed right behind with 15 points and four rebounds, while Kiarra Henderson takced on 10 points and three rebounds. AAMU leads 19-18 in the all-time series against Alcorn. The Braves were predicted to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason poll. Brown was chosen as SWAC Offensive player of the year, and selected to the All-SWAC First Team, while White earned Second Team recognition.
AAMU head coach Dawn Thornton holds a 71-73 record against SWAC teams and is 3-15 against JSU and 8-8 against Alcorn. Thursday's competition can be watched via JSU sports network.
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