NAPLES, Fla. | Rakiyah Beal scored nine points, along with five rebounds, two steals and two assists as the Alabama A&M University women's basketball team concluded play at the Florida Gulf Classic with a 70-38 loss to Ball State on Saturday at The Community School of Naples.
Kamiyha Griffin chipped in eight points, three steals and one board as the Bulldogs shot 21.7 percent from the floor in the loss.
Aniss Tagayi led the Cardinals with 12 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals. Bree Salebien and Grace Kingery each added 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M (1-6) began the game 1-for-11 from the field as Ball State built an 11-2 lead through the first eight-plus minutes of the opening quarter and the Cardinals took a 16-6 advantage into the second period.
A
Rakiyah Beal jumper and 3-pointer closed the gap to 18-11 with 6:37 remaining in the second, but the Bulldogs went cold from the floor as Ball State closed the half on a 9-4 run to take a 27-15 lead into the break.
The Cardinals (7-1) opened the second half on a 10-2 run, capped by a Bree Salabien layup to extend their lead to 37-17 with just over six minutes to play.
Ball State stretched the advantage to 49-24 after three quarters and the Cardinals didn't look back to pick up the win.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M went 15-of-69 shooting (21.7 percent) and 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 37 rebounds, with 13 coming on the offensive glass
- Rakiyah Beal scored nine points, along with five rebounds, two steals and two assists
- Kamiyha Griffin chipped in eight points, three steals and one board
- Alabama A&M finished with 14 bench points, 12 points in the paint, eight points off 19 BSU trunovers, four fastbreak points and three second-chance points
- Ball State shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the field and 75.0 percent (3-of-4) from the charity stripe
- The Cardinals grabbed 56 rebounds, including 42 on the defensive glass
- Aniss Tagayi registered 12 points, eight boards, four assists and three steals
- Bree Salebien added 11 points, six boards and three assists
- Grace Kingery recorded 11 points, three rebounds and one assist
- Tessa Towers led the defense with 10 rebounds
- Ball State finished with 34 points in the paint, 23 bench points, 14 fastbrek points, 12 second-chance points and 10 points off 15 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action on Thursday against Tuskegee. Tip-off against the Golden Tigers during the Toys for Tots/Huntsville City Schools Education Day is set for 11 a.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on SWAC TV.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - 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).
