ITTA BENA, Miss.| The Alabama A&M women's basketball team recovered from an 11 point deficit to overcome the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes, securing their 16th straight win in the series with a score of 95-76. Three Bulldogs finished with at least 15 points in the victory, with five finishing in double figures.

Alisha Wilson's 20 points, Kaila Walker's 18 points, and Jaiyah Harris-Smith's season high 15 points helped shift the momentum in the Bulldogs' favor. The Bulldogs' success came from dominating in the paint with 46 points, forcing 17 turnovers, and scoring 24 points from those turnovers compared to MVSU's four. AAMU also scored 23 second-chance points to the Devilettes' nine, and 22 fast-break points to Mississippi Valley's seven.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

The Devilettes had a fast start, opening with an 8-0 run in two and a half minutes. Darian Burgin got the Bulldogs on the board, prompting a 6-2 run. Kearra Jones' triple gave the Delta Devils a 10 point lead (17-7) and a layup from Clemisha Prackett gave them their largest lead of the competition with just over three minutes remaining in the opening frame. A burst of momentum, including an 10-0 run, allowed the Bulldogs to trim the Devilettes lead to one, ending the period at 21-20.

The second quarter saw both teams trading points, not letting the other earn more than four points at a time. The visitors were able to capitalize more, closing the half with a 40-36 lead.

A three pointer from Harris-Smith and a lay-up from Wilson extended the Bulldog lead to nine, but their run was stopped by a bucket from Jones. Three consecutive free throws from Wilson put AAMU ahead 14 points with just over three minutes remaining in the stanza (58-44). Harris-Smith knocked down another shot from beyond the arc to solidify the frame ahead 67-50.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to as many as 26 in the final quarter, including a three-pointer from Mailyn Wilkerson just before the media timeout. The Delta Devils saw an 11-2 run in an attempt to close the gap.The Devilettes were able to score 26 points in the fourth quarter, only two shy of A&M's 28, but it still wasn't enough as the Bulldogs won 95-76. 

GAME NOTES 

•  Alabama A&M shot 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from behind the arc  
• AAMU went 23-40 (57.5 percent) from the line  
• The Bulldogs grabbed 36 total rebounds, 21 of them defensively  
• Wilson led the Bulldogs with 20 points and nine rebounds  
• Walker finished with 18 points  
• Harris-Smith had 15 points three steals and three rebounds  
• Darin Burgin added 14 points and a team-leading four steals. 
• The Bulldogs finished with 46 points in the paint, 26 bench points, and 24 points from 17 Devilette turnovers  
• AAMU picked up 13 steals compared to three from MVSU  
• The Delta Devilettes shot 51.7 percent (31-of-60) from the field, 33.3 percent from the line (5-of-15), and 37.5 percent (9-24) from behind the arc  
• Mississippi Valley grabbed 36 rebounds  
• Jaylia Reed scored 17 points and two assists. 
• Aaliyah Duranham added eight points and 12 rebounds  
• Maxey added 10 points  
• MVSU saw 36 points in the paint, 23 bench points, and four points from five Bulldog turnovers  

UP NEXT  
The Bulldogs return to the AAMU Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. for the Play4Kay Pink Out contest against Florida A&M, before taking on Bethune-Cookman for senior night. The theme is Black Out.

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