Games Notes | Live Stats
LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program takes on Tougaloo College in a 5:30 p.m. matchup Thursday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex. The game marks the final non-conference home game for Alcorn this season.
The Lady Braves played a pair of tough games at the Southern Miss Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic last week, but came up short against the hosts 72-67 on Friday and fell in overtime to Stephen F. Austin 83-79 on Saturday. Senior guard Tia Sanders was named to the All-Tournament Team after tallying 49 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a pair of steals through the two contests.
"We're putting together semi-complete games," said head coach Courtney G. Pruitt. "We're 95 percent there as far as competing for 40 minutes. We're still not where we want to be field goal percentage-wise, free-throw percentage-wise, or three-point shooting-wise. We've got a long way to go. It just looks good because we're able to compete. But we know what it takes to be successful and to run the conference, so we're still not there yet."
Sanders is shooting 45-82 (54.9 percent) from the floor, including 19-36 (52.8 percent) from deep, and 18-21 (85.7 percent) from the free-throw line. She leads the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game. Also averaging double-digits are senior guard Alexus Freeman with 17.8 points and junior guard Cloe Lane with 10.2. Senior forward Miracle Rushing is Alcorn's top rebounder with 9.3 boards per outing. Defensively, Freeman owns a team-high 22 steals and freshman forward Jamaysha Bernard has five blocks.
On the production from Sanders and Freeman and closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule, Pruitt added, "It looks good, but it's also a big target when other teams scout us. We still have a secret weapon that we're holding on to that we're hoping will make us more well-rounded. Having that extra body will even out how we play and how well we do. So our focus is to stay healthy, keep doing what we're doing, and to be consistent."
As a team, Alcorn averages 73.2 points (+6.5 scoring margin), 42.5 rebounds (+3.2 rebounding margin), 14.0 assists, 10.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game. The squad is shooting 163-409 (39.9 percent) from the field, 41-116 (35.3 percent) from long-range, and 72-112 (64.3 percent) at the line.
Tougaloo enters Thursday's matchup 2-4 overall and is on a two-game win streak. The Lady Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season Nov. 21 as they took a close battle with Rust College 57-55. The team then added another win Tuesday as they defeated Selma University 68-54. In the Battle of the Lady Bulldogs, Montoria Atkinson recorded a 13-point, 17-rebound double-double and teammate Debraia Bell posted an 11-point, 19-rebound double-double to lead Tougaloo. Also scoring in double digits were Melissa Creese with 14 points and Chesha Lewis with 13.
Atkinson is averaging a double-double with 12.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per outing. Following her in scoring are Creese with 8.8 points and Lewis with 8.2 points. Jermani Thompson is the team's threat from long-range with four deep balls this season. Defensively, Atkinson owns seven blocks with six steals and Creese leads the team with 14 steals.
Tougaloo is averaging 56.5 points per game while allowing opponents to net 63.7 (-7.2). The Lady Bulldogs are shooting (123-336 (36.6 percent) from the field, 8-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc, and 85-156 (54.5 percent) at the charity stripe.
NOTES
- Atkinson leads the NAIA Division I in defensive rebounds per game (8.8) and ranks third in rebounds per game (13.0), eighth in offensive rebounds per game (4.2), and ninth in total rebounds (78).
- The Lady Bulldogs are seventh in NAIA Division I in three-point field goal percentage defense (23.7), 18th in offensive rebounds per game (15.3), and 20th in total rebound defense (32.8).
- Alcorn is one of two SWAC teams that Tougaloo plays this season. The Lady Bulldogs fell to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 71-51 on Nov. 10.
- Thursday is the 10th meeting in the all-time series with Alcorn owning a slim 5-4 advantage over Tougaloo. The teams last squared off in a pair of contests during the 1983-84 season. The Lady Braves won the first game in overtime 61-60 and took the second game by a score of 78-66.
- In the previous nine meetings, Alcorn has averaged 68.7 points while Tougaloo has averaged 69.4.
- Sanders and Freeman both rank in the top five in scoring among SWAC players and are averaging a combined 39 points per game.
- Alcorn and Arkansas-Pine Bluff have the most representation among the top 25 scorers in the league with four each. For the Lady Braves, Lane ranks 19th with 10.2 points per game and Rushing is 24th with 9.2.
- Rushing leads the league on the glass as she claims the top spots in rebounding (9.3 rpg), offensive rebounding (4.0 orpg), and defensive rebounding (5.3 drpg).
- Sanders is first in the conference in field goal percentage (54.9) and three-point field goal percentage (52.8).
- Freeman sits atop the league in minutes played (37.8 mpg).
- As a team, the Lady Braves rank first in the SWAC in three-point field goal percentage (35.3) and three-point field goals made (41). Nationally, Alcorn is 16th in three-point field goal defense (22.6 percent) and 19th in offensive rebounds per game (18).
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