LORMAN, Miss. – Senior
Henrietta Wells tied a career high with 16 points and added 11 boards as the Alcorn State University women's basketball squad downed Prairie View A&M University 62-55 Wednesday night at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
"We just wanted to make sure and finish mentally tough - that was something we didn't do Monday night (against Texas Southern)," said head coach Courtney Pruitt. "The girls certainly felt pressure in the fourth quarter, but we found a way to make an adjustment and overcome that."
Junior
Tia Sanders also scored 16 and junior
Miracle Rushing added 10 to round out Alcorn's double-digit scorers. Rushing just missed her first career double-double as she grabbed nine boards. Freshman
Jada Hargrove played a pivotal role in filling in for junior Alexus Freeman, who found herself in foul trouble late in the third quarter, totaling a career-high five points and five rebounds in just 10 minutes.
The Lady Braves (1-12, 1-1 SWAC) dominated the glass, outrebounding the Lady Panthers (5-9, 0-2 SWAC) 49-32.
Alcorn scored 10 of the game's first 12 points. Sanders started the action with a corner three then Wells found Rushing cutting to the basket for an easy layup. After two PVAMU free throws, senior
Brianna Luton buried a corner trey and Freeman nailed a jumper after a crossover to give the Lady Braves an early, sizable advantage.
However, The Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Braves 15-5 the remainder of the opening stanza to take a slight 17-15 edge into the second.
The second quarter featured plenty of free throws as the two teams combined to shoot for 28. Alcorn converted 6-of-14 while PVAMU made 8-of-14. Rushing stuffed the stat sheet with seven points and five boards in the quarter despite missing five freebies.
Freshman
Aysha Kirkland and Sanders each successfully completed old-fashioned three-point plays as the Lady Braves outscored PVAMU 21-18 to take a 36-35 advantage at the break.
Backed by five points apiece from Tori Carter and Alexus Parker, the Lady Panthers held a 14-10 scoring advantage in the third to take a 49-46 lead into the final frame.
Alcorn trailed 52-48 in the fourth when Sanders drained back-to-back threes to put the Lady Braves ahead 54-52. The two teams traded buckets before Sanders found Wells cutting hard in the lane for a layup that gave Alcorn more leeway at 58-54.
PVAMU knocked down a free throw and on the next possession Sanders found an open spot near the free-throw line to make a jumper that put the game away.
The Lady Braves return to action Saturday in a 3 p.m. bout at Jackson State University.
NOTES
- This is the third time this season Wells has scored 16 points. She also scored that many in back-to-back games against Southeast Missouri State and UCA.
- Sanders landed in double digits for the ninth time this season, the most among Lady Braves.
- Rushing scored in double figures for the third time in her inaugural season with Alcorn.
- The Lady Braves ended the game with a 28-16 advantage in the paint, 21-13 in second-chance points and 12-6 in bench points.
- PVAMU was the highest-ranked SWAC team in the RPI at 182 before Alcorn's win dropped them to 217. The Lady Braves jumped from 320 to 312.
PRUITT QUOTES
ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PLAYERS…
"She was able to complete the game, facilitate better in the fourth quarter and the last five minutes. It really helped having that experience in the game during that time. We were happy to get Henrietta going. That's her second double-double in conference play. We're proud of Tia and her 16 points. We know she's capable of doing it. She's actually our team's leading scorer so we just want that play to be consistent. We have to get Alexus back going to have games like she had Monday night."
ON JADA HARGROVE'S QUALITY MINUTES…
"She did an excellent job coming off the bench. She knew her job was to facilitate and make sure we took care of the ball with Alexus on the bench in foul trouble. As a freshman, she stepped up and did an excellent job. She took the role on and you know what - she didn't shy away from it. We're very proud of her, and we just want that to continue. We want to get great bench production from all the young ladies."
ON AYSHA KIRKLAND…
"She's quick as a cat and has great defense. We have to work on her scoring ability. She can do it. Sometimes she shies away from it. She has great athletic ability. You can see it. As a freshman, she's seeing key minutes and getting key playing time. She's really stepping up. She's developing - as she grows, she will be really good."
Listen to "Final Alcorn 62 Pvu 55 Courtney Pruitt Postgame" on Spreaker.
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