March 8, 2007

Final Stats

Birmingham, Ala. - After a late season turn-around that saw them climb from the bottom of the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings all the way to fifth place, the Alabama State Lady Hornets saw their season end with a first round tournament lost to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff 62-52 Thursday night.

"We probably played well about 80% of the game," said ASU head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson. "But when you get to this point in the year, it takes 100% to get the job done."

Both teams started very slowly, as only 10 combined points were scored in the first six minutes and forty seconds. After Essence Butler hit a tough jump shot inside to tie the game at 5-5, the teams exchanged a couple of shots - including a 3-pointer from Butler - and the game was tied again at 10-10. That would be a common theme of the night, as there were seven ties and eight lead changes.

ASU was able to build an eight point lead, 22-14, on Assunta Fulgham's layup with just under four minutes to go in the half. UAPB fought back to outscore the Lady Hornets 10-2 to even the score at 24, before Shantae Robinson hit a tough layup just as the clock expired to give ASU a 26-24 halftime lead.

The second half was as close as the first half, as the teams battled back and forth. UAPB surged to a 40-33 lead with 10:56 to go, but the Lady Hornets responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead back. Senior Danielle Sanders ignited the outburst with eight points and four rebounds in just over two minutes.

As the lead swung back and forth, UAPB took charge of the game when Tashayla Jackson hit a 3-point shot to give the Golden Lions a six point advantage with 4:09 remaining.

ASU was forced to foul to stop the clock, but UAPB was solid from the free throw line hitting seven straight to put the game out of reach.

The Golden Lion's Delores Hughley hit a lay up as time expired to make the final score 62-52.

Hughley led all scorers with 21 points. Jackson added 13 for UAPB (12-20).

For ASU (12-19), Butler scored 11 points and Fulgham added 10.

"You certainly don't want to see it (the season) end this way," Freda Freeman-Jackson said. "But we are very young and we have a lot of good players returning. We will be back."