LORMAN, Miss. – Senior guard Tia Sanders scored 22 points and senior forward Miracle Rushing recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Alcorn State University women's basketball program bested Tougaloo College 76-64 Thursday night at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Sanders shot 8-23 (34.8 percent) on the night, including 3-9 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc, and converted all three of her charity shots. She grabbed five boards, tied her season mark with four assists, and earned a season-high three steals. Rushing went 6-10 (60.0 percent) from the field and made both of her freebies to tie her season high in scoring. She added six assists and five steals, both career highs.
Also finishing in double figures was Kristian Dewitt with a season-high 12 points. The junior guard also posted career numbers with six field goals made, four rebounds, four steals, and 20 minutes played.
The Lady Braves shot 33-79 (41.8 percent) from the floor, 4-19 (21.1 percent) from deep, and went 6-9 (66.7 percent) at the free-throw line.
Tougaloo started off with seven unanswered to take the early lead, but Alcorn pulled to within 9-6 on an Alexus Freeman jumper at the 6:08 mark. After a layup by Montoria Atkinson, the Lady Braves took off on a 12-0 run as the defense forced multiple Lady Bulldog turnovers. The teams then traded buckets as the first quarter came to an end with Alcorn in control 20-13.
Both teams netted 13 points in the second. The visitors slowly chipped away at the lead and got to within 26-24 as Jermani Thompson went 1-2 at the line (3:10), but that would be the closest they'd get. A pair of long balls by Sanders and a free-throw from freshman forward Danasia Fennie gave the Lady Braves a 33-27 lead at the break.
The second half belonged to Alcorn as the team jumped out to a double-digit lead that TC wasn't able to crack. The guests wouldn't go down without a fight, though, as the Lady Bulldogs posted 22 points in the final 10 minutes of action to get to within 12 for the final score.
TC had four players in double-digits, led by Thompson with 18 points. Atkinson earned a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, Debraia Bell posted a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double, and Melissa Creese contributed 13 points.
Alcorn held the advantage in point scored in the paint (48-34), points off turnovers (33-18), fast-break points (10-4), and bench production (26-0). The game featured no ties and the one lead change. The Lady Braves led by as many as 22.
The team has a week off before they head to Wichita, Kan. to compete in the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic. The Lady Braves open with a 4 p.m. game against Oral Roberts on Dec. 15, then take on the hosts in a 6 p.m. contest on Saturday. Both games will be played at Charles Koch Arena.
NOTES
- Tougaloo falls to 0-2 against SWAC opponents this season. The Lady Bulldogs fell to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 71-51 on Nov. 10.
- With the win, Alcorn moves to 6-4 in the all-time series.
- Alcorn's 27 points in the third quarter tied its season high. The team also netted 27 points in third quarter against LeMoyne-Owen College on Nov. 15.
- In the previous nine meetings, Alcorn had averaged 68.7 points while Tougaloo averaged 69.4.
- Alcorn was just shy of its season mark for consecutive points scored in a game. The Lady Braves scored 13 straight between the end of the first half and the start of the second. The team's high is 14 (2nd and 3rd quarters versus Blue Mountain College on Nov. 17).
- The team tied its season mark for largest rebounding advantage of 13 (52-39). The Lady Braves out-rebounded Southeastern Louisiana by 13 (59-46) to open the season.
- The Lady Braves did not surrender a three-pointer in the game. The previous low by an opponent this season was two three-pointers in the Blue Mountain College game. The Lady Toppers shot 2-12 (16.7 percent).
- With multiple players in foul trouble, Fennie saw a lot of playing time on the evening. She logged 29 minutes in the game, seven minutes more than her previous season high of 22 in the season opener. She set season marks with 10 rebounds and five points.
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