Mississippi Valley State: Game Notes | Live Stats | Radio
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Game Notes | Live Stats | Radio
LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program will be looking to sweep Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the regular season as they host the teams Saturday and Monday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex. Saturday's game against MVSU is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start, while Monday's game against UAPB will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
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Senior guards Tia Sanders and Alexus Freeman are the top scorers with 15.7 and 14.7 points per game, respectively. Sanders is the top three-pointer in the conference at 39.1 percent shooting and ranks second with 54 long balls. Senior forward Miracle Rushing has recorded seven double-doubles this season and leads the team on the glass with 177 boards. The Meridian, Miss. native is second in the SWAC in defensive rebounding at 4.9 rebounds per outing. Freeman has 89 steals while junior guard Cloe Lane and freshman forward Jamaysha Bernard each have 12 blocks.
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"We've got to take care of business and take care of home when we go back," said head coach Courtney G. Pruitt following the team's loss at Grambling State on Monday. "We've got to make sure our defensive presence our first priority and then layups and free throws, in that order. We have to make stops and play defense, then convert when we do get stops."
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The Lady Braves have made 520-1420 (37.2 percent) from the field, 130-424 (30.7 percent) from beyond the arc, and 231-398 (58.0 percent) at the free-throw line. Alcorn nets 64.6 points (-6.3) with 37.2 rebounds (-4.8), 12.5 assists, 20.9 turnovers, 12.0 steals, and 1.9 blocks per ccontest.
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Mississippi Valley State | Feb. 10 | 3 p.m.
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The Devilettes (1-22, 1-10 SWAC) picked up their first win of the season 72-61 over Jackson State on Jan. 27, but have since lost three straight. The team is coming off a 57-49 home loss to Alabama A&M on Monday. LaKendra Bassett and Makayla Bonner each netted 12 points to lead MVSU, while Kristy Parker was right behind with 11 points.
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Parker and Bassett are MVSU's two leading scorers this season with 15.7 and 14.9 points per game. The duo has a combined 47 three-pointers and are also the top rebounders: Bassett averages 4.7 boards and Parker 4.3. On defense, Bassett has 66 steals and Bonner has six blocks.
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"They're scrappy," commented Pruitt on MVSU. "They're not going to give up, they're going to keep playing. They have a great combo guard in Bassett and Parker. They have a great 1-2 punch and they do an excellent job, so we've got to make sure and maintain them and sit down and play solid defense for four quarters."
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The Devilettes are shooting 456-1344 (33.9 percent) from the floor, 84-383 (21.9 percent) from long range, and 297-487 (61.0 percent) at the free-throw line. The team is averaging 56.2 points (-18.3), 32.0 rebounds (-12.2), 8.6 assists, 15.4 turnovers, 9.7 steals, and 1.0 block per contest.
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Alcorn earned a 76-70 victory in Itta Bena, Miss. back on Jan. 13. Freeman and Sanders combined for 53 points to pace the Lady Braves. The Purple and Gold led by as many as 23 early in the fourth quarter, but MVSU used a 17-4 swing and a 6-0 run to make things interesting late.
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Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Feb. 12 | 5:30 p.m.
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The Lady Lions (5-16, 3-8 SWAC) have won two in a row as they secured road victories at Alabama A&M and Alabama State last week. In a close game against the Lady Hornets, Shawntayla Harris sank a go-ahead layup with 13 seconds on the clock as UAPB held on 55-53.
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Faith Ohanta is the lone Lady Lion to average double-digit scoring at 12.5 points. Following her are Destiny Brewton with 8.7 points and Harris with 7.7. Malaik Muhammad is the deep threat with 15 makes from distance and Ohanta grabs 8.5 boards to lead UAPB on the glass. Defensively, three Lady Lions have 20 steals and Harris owns 32 blocks, which ranks third in the league.
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UAPB shoots 395-1156 (34.2 percent) from the floor, 54-281 (19.2 percent) from beyond the arc, and 297-450 (66.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Lady Lions score 54.3 points (-14.0) with 38.1 rebounds (-3.6), 10.3 assists, 20.6 turnovers, 8.0 steals, and 3.5 blocks.
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The teams met in Pine Bluff, Ark. back on Jan. 15. With less than eight seconds to play, Sanders launched an in-bounds pass to mid-court, where Rushing grabbed it and made an uncontested layup as the Lady Braves edged the hosts 80-77. Rushing led the way with a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double. Freeman contributed 15 points, while Sanders and sophomore guard Jada Hargrove each tallied 13 points.
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NOTES
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- With the Jan. 13 win, the Lady Braves have now won eight straight against the Devilettes. It is currently Alcorn's longest winning streak in an all-time series.
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- Through games played on Feb. 7, Freeman ranks fourth in the nation in both steals (89) and steals per game (4.05). She leads the conference and is 31st nationally in field goal attempts (375).
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- Heading into this weekend, the Lady Braves are 5-2 on their home court this season, including a 2-2 record in league play. The team will look to extend its two-game home winning streak against the Devilettes on Saturday and the Lady Lions on Mon
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- With a 1-3 effort from distance at Grambling on Feb. 5, Sanders now has 54 three-pointers on the season. At 54-138 this season, she moves past her mark of 54-181 set last year to grab fifth on the program's single-season record list for most three-pointers made in a season. Kierra Levy (2002-03) holds the record with 69.
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- Alcorn scored 27 points in the second quarter at UAPB on Jan. 15. It ties the squad's season high and marked the third time the team has reached the mark this season. The Lady Braves tallied 27 points in the third quarter against LeMoyne-Owen on Nov. 15 and netted 27 in the third quarter versus Tougaloo on Nov. 30.
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- Rushing's 21 points at UAPB are a career high. Her previous best was 14 points, a mark she had reached twice this season and three times in her career.
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