Feb. 11, 2006

Final Stats

NORMAL, Ala. - Alabama State women's basketball coach Freda Freeman-Jackson has been weary of this type of situation all season. When the game is on the line and the Lady Hornets need a basket, who gets the ball?

Saturday afternoon at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium against Alabama A&M, the answer was junior guard Tashia Holston.

Clinging to a one-point lead with less than three minutes remaining, the Jacksonville State transfer scored seven of the Lady Hornets last nine points - she assisted on the other two - including baskets on three consecutive possessions to help ASU (10-10, 8-4 SWAC) to a 57-53 win over the Lady Bulldogs (10-11, 6-6).

"She stepped up big time for us," Freeman-Jackson said. "Everyone knows she can fill it up but she's been struggling all year. But she's an X-factor. She can give us offense and she did it big today."

Holston scored a game-high 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench. But the show she put on in the last three minutes was clearly the difference in the game.

After two consecutive 3-point field goals by Alabama A&M guard Rebecca Barnes trimmed the ASU lead to 48-47, Holston gave the Lady Hornets some breathing room by knocking down a short jumper. After an A&M basket, she dropped another jumper along the baseline. Two more A&M free throws were met with another Holston bucket that gave Bama State a 54-51 advantage with 57 seconds remaining.

"I knew what I had to do," said Holston, who added three rebounds and assists. "I missed a couple of shots early (in the second half) so I started looking to go to the basket. I knew they couldn't stop me."

After Alabama A&M missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, Holston again had the ball in her hands. The Lady Bulldogs' defense collapsed on her as she drove to the basket, but this time she flipped the ball to Latille Ross for an easy two that gave the Lady Hornets an insurmountable five-point cushion.

Similar to the first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 14 - a 50-43 win by ASU - the Lady Hornets defense helped open a double-digit, second half lead. Alabama A&M missed six of its eight shots to open the second half as Bama State vaulted to a 39-29 advantage four minutes into the final period.

In fact, A&M made only four baskets the entire first half and shot a shade under 30 percent for the game. But the Lady Bulldogs were 24-of-33 from the charity stripe and were only down 29-27 at halftime, staying in this game by emulating the effort from the first game from the free throw line.

"Our defense kept us in this game," said Freeman-Jackson, whose team came into Saturday's game leading the SWAC and 26th in the nation in defensive field goal percentage. "They made some runs in the second half but we were able to hold them off."

Ross scored 10 points and Elma Stevenson added eight points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Hornets, who are at home Monday night against Savannah State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.