HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Alabama A&M University women's basketball team entered the final quarter trailing by two points, but held Alabama State scoreless for nearly eight minutes to come from behind for a 58-47 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory on Saturday afternoon at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (15-13 overall, 10-6 SWAC), playing in front of its largest home crowd of 5,127, completed the season sweep of their rivals. Alabama State (3-24, 3-13) led 39-37 after three quarters, but went nearly eight minutes without a bucket in the fourth quarter.
Darian Burgin led Alabama A&M with 14 points, six boards, two assists and one steal. Amiah Simmons tallied 13 points, five boards, one steal and one block, while Alisha Wilson registered a double-double of 12 rebounds and 11 points, with a team-high four steals and four blocks. Kaylah Turner added 10 points, three assists, two boards, one steal and one block.
Solangelei Akridge led ASU with 15 points, three boards and one assist, while Cordasia Harris added 10 points and nine boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M jumped out to a 12-9 advantage after a free throw by Wilson with just under four minutes left in the quarter
- ASU kept the game close in the opening frame but a Kaylah Turner jumper sent AAMU into the second with a 17-13 lead
- The Hornets closed the gap to 21-19 after a Justina Graham layup with 5:15 left in the second
- Alabama A&M snapped a seven-minute scoring drought from the field when Simmons drained a triple, giving AAMU a 24-19 lead with just over two minutes to play
- The Hornets cut the deficit to 24-22 at the break
- AAMU started the third strong, using a 9-2 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Simmons as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 33-24 with 5:52 remaining
- The Hornets got their first field goal of the second half with 4:17 left as April Hooks drained a 3-pointer to close the gap to 34-27
- The bucket by Hooks sparked a 12-1 run over the final four minutes as Alabama State took a 39-37 lead into the fourth period
- Alabama A&M opened the final quarter with a 16-0 run and didn't look back in completing the season sweep of the Hornets
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 30.4 percent (17-of-56) from the floor and 67.7 percent (21-of-31) from the foul line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 40 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive glass
- Darian Burgin led Alabama A&M with 14 points, six boards, two assists and one steal
- Amiah Simmons tallied 13 points, five boards, one steal and one block
- Alisha Wilson registered a double-double of 12 rebounds and 11 points, with a team-high four steals and four blocks
- Kaylah Turner added 10 points, three assists, two boards, one steal and one block
- The Bulldogs finished with 20 points in the paint, 17 points off 23 ASU turnovers, 16 fastbreak points, eight bench points and six second-chance points
- Alabama State went 17-of-48 shooting (35.4 percent) and 7-of-10 (70.0 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Hornets grabbed 35 rebounds, with 29 on the defensive glass
- Solangelei Akridge led ASU with 15 points, three boards and one assist
- Cordasia Harris added 10 points and nine boards
- The Hornets finished with 20 points in the paint, 13 bench points, six points off 12 AAMU turnovers, four second-chance points and two fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its three-game homestand on Thursday against Grambling State. Tip-off during Western/Country Night is set for 5:30 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.