HOUSTON – It may have taken overtime Saturday evening, but Alcorn Women's Basketball defeated Texas Southern, 76-67 in overtime of a Southern Western Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest housed inside the Health & Physical Education Arena.
Cayla Obillo pumped in eight points in the overtime period for Alcorn (5-10, 1-3 SWAC), while teammate
Kiarra Henderson went 3-of-4 at the free throw line to preserve the Braves' first league win of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Purple and Gold scored the first nine points in overtime, as Obillo connected on back-to-back baskets, including a three-pointer, to give her side a 69-64 edge with 3:09 remaining. Following a free throw by Henderson, Obillo – a 5-foot-2 native of Long Beach, Mississippi, connected on a trio of free throws to give the Braves a sizeable 73-64 lead under three minutes into the extra period.
In the end, the lead would prove to be too much for Texas Southern (1-15, 1-4 SWAC).
The Purple and Gold led 23-16 after the opening quarter with
Zy'Nyia White shooting 4-of-7 from the field – including a pair of three-pointers, to register 11 points for the visitors. That despite the efforts of Texas Sothern's Micah Gray, who went back-and-forth all afternoon with White in a scoring frenzy between the two stellar guards.
However, the Tigers defense stepped up in the second quarter, limiting Alcorn to just 21.4 percent shooting from the field. In reverse, the hosts drained 3-of-5 shots from three-point range to claim the narrowest of leads at the half, 33-32. That came on the heels of Gray's two free throws with 31 seconds left.
The Braves stepped back out in front at the end of the third quarter with
Destiny Brown combining with White for four points each, as Alcorn shot 6-of-12 from the field in the period in order to outscore the Tigers, 14-12.
Alcorn led 46-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite the Braves connecting on 40 percent of their shots, TSU converted 13-of-16 free throws in the final period of regulation. Gray finished the quarter a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe, while teammates Taniya Lawson and Andriana Avent were each 2-of-2, respectively.
The score stood knotted at 64-all after the traditional 40 minutes of regulation.
TSU was paced in the contest by Gray's game-high 27-point outing. Avent chimed in with 13 points of her own, while Lawson finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Alcorn was paced by White with a season-best 21 points, going on to add two steals and two assists. Obillo also collected a season-high effort in scoring (15), while completing her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds to go along with a season-high six assists and two steals.
Tyginae Wright added 12 points and four assists. And it was Henderson finishing with 10 points and five rebounds.
Alcorn continues its "Lone Star State" road trip with a visit to Prairie View A&M on Monday, Jan. 16, at 4:30 p.m. The game is part of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day basketball event around the nation.
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