Game Notes | Live Stats
LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program plays its second game in three days Friday as the Lady Brave host Blue Mountain College in a 5:30 p.m. contest at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Alcorn earned an 81-54 win over LeMoyne-Owen College Wednesday in the team's home opener. Four Lady Braves scored in double digits, led by senior guard Alexus Freeman's career-high 25 points. Senior guard Tia Sanders, the SWAC Player of the Week, followed with 20 and senior forward Miracle Rushing earned her third career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Cloe Lane finished the night with 11 points.
Sanders and Freeman pace Alcorn offensively with 24.5 and 21.0 points per game, respectively. Rushing is the other Lady Brave averaging double-digit scoring with 11.5 points. The Meridian, Miss. native is the squad's top rebounder with 24 boards and owns a team-high five steals. Lane and freshman forward Jamaysha Bernard each have a pair of blocks.
The Lady Braves lead the SWAC in free throw percentage (72.2) and are tied for the lead in defensive rebounds (62). The team ranks second in scoring offense (82.5 ppg), three-point field goal percentage (37.5), rebounding offense (53.0 rpg), offensive rebound percentage (46.8), and three-point field goals made (9.0 3FG/game).
BMC (0-5) is coming off an 85-65 loss to Shawnee State last Saturday as the team wrapped up the Southern States Athletic Conference/Mid-South Conference Challenge. The team fell to MSC members Campbellsville University (Ky.) 77-52 on Nov. 9 and the University of Pikeville (Ky.) 76-74 on Nov. 10.
Matavia Cox knocked down four deep balls and led the Lady Toppers in Saturday's loss to the Lady Bears with 21 points. Emilee Murr followed with 16 points and five boards, while Parrish Tice also pulled down five rebounds. As a team, BMC shot 21-54 (38.9 percent) from the field, including 5-17 (29.4 percent) from long-range, and 18-21 (85.7 percent) at the line.
Cox is averaging 19.2 points per game to pace Blue Mountain's offense. Murr is the only other Lady Topper averaging double-digit scoring with 11.6 points per outing. Tice and Mallorie Sweat own 23 and 22 boards, respectively.
"They're an excellent three-point shooting team," said head coach Courtney G. Pruitt. "We know that going into it, so we've got to be able to run them off the three-point line. To me, on film, they remind me of Golden State because they're very good in transition and then, instead of getting the lay-up, they're shooting the three ball. So that's something we've got to be disciplined at. We've got to find our man in transition and we've got to be disciplined at talking and communicating. They're hungry for their first win and that's tough to go against because we know they're going to give us everything they've got."
BMC ranks 26th in NAIA Division I in total steals (50) and is 30th in three-point field goal percentage (34.2) and free throw percentage (69.3).
Alcorn is one of two NCAA Division I opponents on BMC's schedule this season. The Lady Toppers play at Southern Mississippi in a 4 p.m. game on Dec. 30. Friday's meeting marks just the third in the series and the first since the teams met twice at the start of Alcorn's inaugural season in 1978-79. The Lady Braves won both of those games by scores of 97-74 and 89-74.
NOTES
- Alcorn starts the season 2-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season when the Lady Braves defeated Philander Smith and Texas Southern.
- The 27-point margin of victory over LOC is Alcorn's largest since an 81-53 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb. 15, 2016.
- The Lady Magicians netted just six points in the second quarter. Last season, Alcorn held opponents to six points in a quarter three times.
- The Lady Braves are now 2-1 in home openers under head coach Courtney G. Pruitt. The team defeated Tougaloo 90-65 on Nov. 12, 2015 and fell to Central Arkansas 71-57 on Nov. 17 in last season's home opener.
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