HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Alabama A&M University women's basketball team trailed by as many as 17 points in the third quarter and nearly climbed out of the huge deficit in the second half as the Bulldogs fell, 60-55, to Grambling State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Thursday night at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (15-14 overall, 10-7 SWAC) trailed 39-22 with 9:49 remaining in the third quarter but battled back and closed the deficit to 54-52 with 3:56 left in the final quarter. However, Grambling State (20-8, 14-3), which shot 72.7 percent in the second quarter, outscored AAMU, 6-3, down the stretch to escape with the road win.
The Bulldogs entered the day tied for fourth in the SWAC standings with Southern. The Jaguars earned a road win over Alabama State, moving Southern into the fourth spot in the standings.
Kaylah Turner scored 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half, along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Darian Burgin recorded 12 points, four boards, four steals and a pair of assists, while Jayla Cody added 12 points and four boards.
Jordyn Carner, Anijah Grant and Kahia Warmsley each registered 12 points to lead Grambling State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M started slow as Grambling State built an 8-0 lead after a jumper by Anijah Grant with 7:53 remaining in the opening frame
- The Bulldogs responded with eight straight points, capped by a Cody layup, as AAMU tied the game at 8 with just under six minutes to play
- The Tigers used a 10-3 run over the final 5:50 of the quarter as Grambling State took an 18-11 lead into the second period
- Grambling State took advantage of a sluggish start to the second by Alabama A&M as the Tigers extended the lead to 24-14 after free throws by Amanda Blake with 7:27 remaining
- The Bulldogs went more than four minutes without a field goal before Wilson went end-to-end for the fastbreak layup as AAMU closed the gap to 26-17 with 5:05 left
- GSU got buckets by Blake and Jazmyne Jackson, stretching the advantage to 30-17 with just under four minutes to play
- The Tigers shot nearly 73 percent in the second quarter as Grambling State took a commanding 39-22 lead into the break
- Alabama A&M got three straight buckets by Turner to open the third period, cutting the deficit to 42-29 with 8:25 remaining
- The Bulldogs trimmed the margin to 43-34 after a Cody jumper with just over five minutes to play in the quarter
- Grambling State snapped a six-minute scoring drought as Grant scored on a layup, giving the Tigers a 45-35 lead with 2:13 remaining
- A layup by Turner as time expired closed the gap to 47-37 entering the final quarter
- The Bulldogs continued to storm back as Burgin scored the first five points in the fourth as AAMU cut the margin to 47-42 with 8:42 left
- Grambling State answered and pushed the lead back to double digits, 52-42, after a Brenda McKinney three-point play with 7:49 remaining
- Alabama A&M used a 10-2 run, capped by a Turner triple as the Bulldogs cut the deficit to just two points, 54-52, with just under four minutes to play
- However, Alabama A&M could not get any closer as Grambling State escaped with the road win
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) and 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 33 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass
- Kaylah Turner scored 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half, along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Darian Burgin recorded 12 points, four boards, four steals and a pair of assists
- Jayla Cody added 12 points and four boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 16 points off 15 GSU turnovers, 15 fastbreak points, 12 second-chance points and five bench points
- Grambling State went 20-of-45 shooting (44.4 percent) from the field and 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Tigers grabbed 37 rebounds, with 31 coming on the defensive glass
- Jordyn Carner, Anijah Grant and Kahia Warmsley each registered 12 points to lead Grambling State.
- The Tigers finished with 28 points in the paint, 24 bench points, six points off 12 AAMU turnovers, six fastbreak points and two second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M concludes the regular season on Saturday with Senior Night against Southern. Tip-off against the Jaguars is set for 2 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.