THE HILL | Kalia Walker, Alisha Wilson and Lauryn Pendleton each finished in double figures as the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (15-7, 8-2 SWAC) steamed past the Grambling State Tigers (8-13, 5-5 SWAC) on Thursday evening.
Kalia Walker paced the Bulldogs with a 23-point performance, including four of eight from the three-point line. Alisha Wilson tallied her 10th double-double of the season by posting 19 points and 12 rebounds and a team-high three steals. Lauryn Pendleton added 11 points and led the team, along with Jaiyah Harris-Smith, with four assists.
Both Kahia Warmsley and Shaniah Nunn recorded 12 points a piece while Lydia Freeman notched a 10 point and 10 rebound double-double. Warmsley led the Tigers with five assists and Claire Simmons tallied three steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED Â
The Bulldogs jetted to a 13-2 lead, highlighted by a triple from
Kalia Walker, holding the tigers to six scoreless minutesÂ
Grambling State stopped the Bulldog run after a pair of three-pointers and pair of jumpers put them within one point of the contest with just over two minutes remaining in the opening frameÂ
A pair of foul shots from Walker and a three-point play from
Lauryn Pendleton extended the Bulldog lead to six pointsÂ
Halima Salat sunk a triple to keep the Tigers in competition, but Walker responded with a three-pointer of her own to end the first quarter in favor of the host team, 21-15Â
The Tigers took their first lead of the game after a three pointer from Shaniah Nunn put the visitors ahead 25-23Â
Grambling began the second frame with a three pointer from Salat and proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to take the 27-23 lead heading into the media timeoutÂ
GSU knocked down another triple before AAMU scored four straight points to close out the half with the visitors still ahead (32-29)Â
After both teams traded a pair of points, Walker sunk two consecutive shots from beyond the arc to regain the lead and force a tiger stoppage (39-34)Â
Walker euro-stepped to the basket and
Tia Harvey tossed a layup off an assist from Pendleton to take a five-point lead and prompt another GSU timeoutÂ
Alisha Wilson scored a turnaround jumper and drew contact to add three more points to the Bulldog tallyÂ
Harvey grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a jumper to give the Bulldogs a 10-point lead with three and a half minutes remaining in the frameÂ
The visitors scored four uncontested points but a turnaround jumper from Wilson ended the frame with the Bulldogs ahead 52-44Â
AAMU was the first to add points in the final stanza after a three-point play from
Darian BurginÂ
Wilson grabbed a defensive rebound, scored and drew a foul to add another triplet of points to the Alabama A&M tally (60-44)Â
The Bulldogs halted a 6-2 Tiger run with just under five minutes remaining in the final quarterÂ
AAMU responded with six unanswered points of their own to go ahead 16 pointsÂ
Grambling State went on another 7-3 run but the Bulldogs claimed the 70-58 victory Â
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GAME NOTES Â
- Alabama A&M shot 44.2 percent (23-52) from the field and 27.3 percent (5-13) from beyond the arc Â
- AAMU went 19-27 (70.4 percent) from the free throw line Â
- The Bulldogs snagged 37 rebounds, 25 of them from the defensive side of the ball Â
- Kalia Walker scored 23 points , including five of seven from the foul line Â
- Alisha Wilson totaled 19 points, 12 rebounds and three stealsÂ
- Lauryn Pendleton added 11 points and four assists Â
- AAMU finished with 30 points in the paint, 9 bench points, and 13 points from 16 Tiger turnovers Â
- Grambling finished with 22 points in the paint, 29 bench points, and 23 points from 18 Bulldog turnovers Â
- The Tigers shot 32.4 percent (22-68) from the field, 87.5 percent (7-8) from the line and 46.7 (7-15) beyond the arcÂ
- Both Kahia Warmsley and Shaniah Nunn recorded 12 points a piece Â
- Lydia Freeman notched a 10 point and 10 rebound double-double. Â
- Warmsley led the Tigers with five assists and Claire Simmons tallied three steals.Â
UP NEXT Â
The Bulldogs return to play on Saturday, February 8th as they take on the Southern Jaguars at the AAMU Event Center. Saturday's game theme is Divine Nine and Organization Day with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. The contest will be live streamed via Bulldogs All-Access with Vann Pettaway and Mo Carter on the call.Â
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).Â