HOUSTON — Three weeks to the day of their last game and Alabama A&M (5-2, 3-1 SWAC) showed no rust whatsoever as they outpaced Texas Southern (2-5, 1-4 SWAC) to earn a convincing 73-50 victory in an NCAA Division I women's basketball game on Monday, February 1.
Junior forward Dariauna Lewis (Omaha, Neb.) dropped 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and hauled in 15 rebounds to go with four blocks and a pair of assists in 32 minutes while redshirt-junior center Elexis Evans (Greensboro, Ala.) finished with 14 points and 15 caroms.
Senior guard Nigeria Jones (Lincoln, Neb.) added 14 points, four assists and a pair of steals and senior guard Deshawna Harper (Indianapolis, Ind.) had 11 points and three assists. Sophomore forward Kobi Warner (Birmingham, Ala.) saw her most extensive action, finishing with four points and nine boards in 13 minutes.
Trailing 5-4 with three and a half minutes gone by, AAMU would seize control of the game with a dominant 14-2 run over the next 5:17 to take an 18-7 lead into the second quarter. Harper would fuel that run with six of the Bulldogs' points.
While TSU would narrow the gap to under double-digits at nine points at the start of the frame, it would be a fleeting hope to continue in that direction. Alabama A&M would reassert themselves over the remainder of the half, producing a 14-3 run that extended the lead to 34-12 by the 5:32 mark and 42-16 at the break.
It would be a trend that would not deviate in the third quarter, save for the Bulldogs only outscoring the Tigers 15-11 for a 30 point lead, 57-27, heading into the fourth and final period. It would be a frame that would see Texas Southern outscore A&M for the first time in the game, eventually closing to within 23 points, 68-45, with just under two minutes to play before falling by the final margin of 73-50.
Te'Aire Hambrick led the way for the TSU with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting while Ataiya Bridges finished with nine points, six boards and a pair of assists. Namiko Adams added nine points, three assists and two rebounds and steals to round out the top performers.
The Bulldogs return home to take on Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, February 6. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Elmore Gymnasium.