Lady Braves Out of Sync against JSU

LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University women's basketball program wasn't able to find its rhythm Saturday as Jackson State finished on top 82-61 at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
Alcorn (3-19, 2-8 SWAC) trailed by 20 in the second quarter when it rallied in the third to get the deficit down to 10, but JSU (9-12, 5-5 SWAC) was able to hold off the Lady Braves and make a run in the final quarter.
 
Junior Charisma Walker shined for Alcorn with a career-high 18 points to go along with nine rebounds. She was 8-for-10 from the free throw line, as her eight makes were also a career-best.
 
Fellow junior Toddriana Isler also reached double-figures with 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Aysha Kirkland pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with six points.
 
The Tigers were guided by Chelsea Causey's double-double of 20 points and 17 rebounds. Christina Ellis Finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.
 
It was a cold night shooting for Alcorn which went 20-for-67 (.299) from the field and 5-for-19 (.263) from three-point range.
 
JSU scored the first six points of the game when the Lady Braves got on the board with a lay-up by Kirkland. Isler's second career three-pointer had Alcorn down just 11-9 at the 2:24 mark. Though, the Tigers ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to lead 18-11 at the end of the first.
 
JSU began the second on a big 13-0 run to take a 31-11 advantage midway through the quarter. The Lady Braves responded with a 9-0 spurt which included a three-pointer by junior Jada Hargrove to get it back down to 31-22 with 2:20 left. The Tigers made the last bucket of the half on a jumper by Ellis to lead 36-24 at the break.
 
In the third, the Tigers were in front 43-28 with 5:57 remaining after a lay-up by Sumer Williams. Free throws by senior De'Asia Brown and Walker made it 43-31, but back-to-back buckets by JSU keep the team in front 49-33 with 2:55 to go.
 
A lay-up by Isler in the fourth had Alcorn down 60-47 at the 7:49 mark, but JSU was able to pull away in the end.
 
The Lady Braves will close out a three-game homestand Monday when they host Grambling State at 5:30 p.m.

NOTES
- Alcorn entered the game leading the SWAC in offensive rebounding with 15.9 per game, and secured 20 in the contest. Isler grabbed six offensive boards.
 
- Walker broke her previous career-high of 14 points set at UAB on Nov. 30, 2018. She was one rebound shy of her second double-double. Walker reached double-figures in scoring for the 10th time this year.
 
- Isler scored in double-figures for the third straight game and eighth time this year. She was three points shy of her career-high of 18 points against Lane College in the season-opener.
 
- Kirkland topped her previous career-high of six rebounds set against Prairie View A&M earlier this season. It was her first career double-digit rebounding performance.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Courtney G. Pruitt
Opening Statement
"We just didn't capitalize on their mistakes tonight. We were getting charges and making them turn over the ball, but we just couldn't score when we got the ball back. We also got in early foul trouble. We tried to get De'Asia going. She got in early foul trouble and it's hard to get into a rhythm when you have to come out because of fouls."
 
On the bench production
"I was proud of our bench play tonight. That was something that we talked about in the pregame. Charisma played great coming off the bench. She almost had a double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds. She asked after practice this week what she can do to help the team more. I told her a few things and she came out and executed them to a T. I wish we could have been able to get more out of Jada and De'Asia on the offensive end."
 
On getting Kirdis Clark back from injury
"Kirdis did pretty wel. We can tell she still isn't 100 percent. She missed a few shots she would usually make."
 
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