LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program struggled in the second and third quarters as Jackson State handed the Lady Braves their first home loss of the season, 74-51, Saturday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Senior guard Tia Sanders was close to her first career double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds. The Pensacola, Fla. native shot 6-15 from the floor, 5-9 from deep, and 3-5 at the free-throw line. She also added an assist to her totals.
Following her in scoring were sophomore guard Jada Hargrove and junior forward Ugochinyere Nwarie, who netted six points apiece. Hargrove was 3-7 on the night and added an assist, while Nwarie was 2-5 from the floor and 2-4 at the charity stripe. The Arlington, Texas native pulled down a pair of rebounds with four steals.
Alcorn went 16-65 (24.6 percent) from the field, 5-18 (27.8 percent) from beyond the arc, and 14-23 (60.9 percent) at the charity stripe.
The visitors opened the scoring with a fast-break bucket and a 2-2 effort at the line before junior guard Cloe Lane got a jumper to fall. After another layup by the Lady Tigers (8-4, 3-0), Sanders knocked down a three-pointer and senior forward Miracle Rushing made a freebie to even the score at 6-6. Alcorn then took over as junior guard De'Asia Brown converted both of her free shots and Sanders added another long ball. Later in the opening quarter, a Nwarie jumper made it a 15-9 Alcorn lead, but the guests scored 10 unanswered. Sanders then hit her third three-pointer to close out the first 10 minutes of action as JSU led 19-18.
Alcorn struggled in the next two quarters. Hargrove put Alcorn back on top early in the second 22-21, but the Lady Tigers took off on an 11-0 run. Jackson State matched its effort from the first quarter and entered the break with a 38-27 advantage.
Held to just seven points in the third, Alcorn entered the final quarter trailing 56-34. The last 10 minutes of play were close, with the Lady Braves using a 12-4 run to cut the Lady Tiger lead to 64-48 with 2:41 remaining in the game, but it proved to be too big of a hole as the visitors earned the win to remain perfect in conference play.
Three Lady Tigers finished in double digits, led by Christina Ellis' 20 points. Maria Conyers-Jordan contributed 13 points with seven rebounds and Chelsea Causey totaled 10 points with eight boards. Katie Hunt led the team on the glass with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Jackson State shot 26-59 (44.1 percent) from the field, 2-7 (28.6 percent) from long-range, and 20-32 (62.5 percent) at the line. JSU won most of the specialty stats, but Alcorn scored more points off turnovers (16-11) and grabbed more steals (15-9). Both teams committed 11 turnovers. The game featured one tie and four lead changes.
The Lady Braves are back on the court Monday as they host Grambling State in a 5:30 p.m. game.
Notes
- Sanders scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season. Her nine rebounds mark a career high.
- Nwarie's six points tied her season high. Her four steals mark a career high.
- Senior guard Alexus Freeman, who entered the game ranked second in the league with 4.0 steals per game, totaled six on the night.
- The loss was the first for the Lady Braves in the Whitney Complex this season. Alcorn went a perfect 3-0 at home during non-conference play with wins over LeMoyne-Owen College, Blue Mountain College, and Tougaloo College.
- JSU won the battle on the glass, 60-34. The 26-board disadvantage was close to the largest this season, missing that mark by two. Oral Roberts out-rebounded Alcorn 51-23 at the Shocker Winter Classic on Dec. 15.
- The Lady Braves will meet the Lady Tigers again on Feb. 3 in Jackson.
Quoting Head Coach Courtney G. Pruitt
On playing a tough game against JSU
"We had a horrible showing tonight. I don't if it's because we're playing back to back, but we're definitely in a slump. The team that you saw play in Houston on Wednesday night and the team that played tonight is not the Lady Braves basketball team. I'm very disappointed in our play and I'll take full responsibility for it because I'm their coach, but we're going to have to put on a way better performance if we're going to be successful."
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On the team's shooting tonight
"When you're shooting 24 percent from the floor compared to their 44 percent. When we're shooting 27 percent from the three when we usually shoot 40 percent from the three-point line. I've never seen us miss wide-open layups like we did tonight. I'm very concerned about our play, but I know as the head coach I will do my homework and we'll get right back to the lab to make sure we get back in the win column."
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On the tough night for Freeman
"She had a very tough night, just hasn't been scoring the ball like we're use to seeing her score. But there's one thing that she needs to realize is that when you're the SWAC Newcomer of the Year and the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, you're going to make their scouting report. So you have to make adjustments and still find a way to lead your team and find a way to score. I have a lot of faith in Alexus and I know she'll watch film and do what it takes to get this team going again."
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