THE HILL | Kalia Walker scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first half as the Alabama A&M University women's basketball team snapped a six-game losing streak with a 64-44 victory over Tuskegee in front of more than 5,000 fans that packed the AAMU Event Center on Thursday for Huntsville City Schools Education Day.
Alabama A&M (2-6) trailed by one early in the second quarter and used a 16-2 run over the final seven-plus minutes of the first half to pull away from Tuskegee.
Walker went 5-of-9 shooting to lead the Bulldogs with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sumayah McIntosh came off the bench to provide 10 points, three steals, one board and one assist, while
Moses Davenport chipped in eight points, five boards and five steals.
Arianna Durrell paced Tuskegee with 16 points, including 8-of-10 from the foul line, along with six rebounds, two steals and one assist. Shemaiah Macklin posted eight points and nine boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M, on the strength of six free throws, opened the game on an 8-2 run before a triple by Durrell closed the gap to 8-5 with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter. The Golden Tigers trimmed the deficit to 13-11 after a bucket at the buzzer by Macklin.
Tuskegee (3-3) grabbed its first lead, 19-18, on a 3-pointer in the left corner by Brooklyn McKinley with just under eight minutes to play in the half.
Back came the Bulldogs, using a 16-2 run over the final 7:23 to take a commanding 34-21 lead into the break.
Back-to-back buckets by Walker to begin the third period extended Alabama A&M's lead to 39-21 with 7:54 remaining and the Bulldogs stretched the advantage to 52-30 after a
Kamiyha Griffin jumper with just under two minutes to play.
Tuskegee chipped away AAMU lead, cutting the margin to 54-40 after a jumper by Kae'la Mitchell with 4:11 remaining, but the deficit was too much to overcome as Alabama A&M picked up its second home win of the season.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M went 22-of-53 shooting (41.5 percent) and 18-of-26 (69.2 percent) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 29 rebounds, with 13 coming on the offensive glass
- Kalia Walker registered 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Sumayah McIntosh came off the bench to provide 10 points, three steals, one board and one assist
- Moses Davenport chipped in eight points, five boards and five steals
- Alabama A&M finished with 36 points in the paint, 35 points off 35 Tuskegee turnovers, 27 bench points, 10 second-chance points and 10 fastbreak points
- Tuskegee shot 35.9 percent (14-of-39) and 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the charity stripe
- The Golden Tigers grabbed 30 rebounds, with 21 coming on the defensive end
- Arianna Durrell recorded 16 points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist
- Shemaiah Macklin posted eight points and nine boards.
- Tuskegee finished with 16 points in the paint, 16 bench points, 10 points off 18 AAMU turnovers, five fastbreak points and three second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M closes out its two-game homestand on Sunday against Miles College. Tip-off against the Golden Bears is scheduled for 5 p.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).
