Box Score Sophomore Kierra Paige led Alabama State with 14 points, falling against Texas Southern 74-40 in the final game of the Texas swing Monday night at the H&PE Arena in Houston, Texas.
 
“This was a terrible game for us offensively and defensively,” said head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson.  “We weren't able ever to get our offense going.  The score does not indicate the type of team that we exemplified tonight.  We are not playing good basketball at this point and now we are going to have to go back and figure some things out.  How we just played is definitely unacceptable, we are going to have to go back and figure it out, keep our heads up and go back to the drawing board.”
 
Texas Southern scored first and led the entire game off of missed shots and turnovers plagued ASU giving the Tigers a 13-0 run in the first six minutes of the first half.  ASU's Andrea Benford hit two free throws to give the Lady Hornets their fifth point of the game (16-5) with 13:56 left in the half.  The score at the break found ASU down by 16 (40-24), and outrebounded 26-18.
 
“We started the game off backwards,” Freeman-Jackson stated.  “I asked them to play solid defense with 15:11 on the clock TSU is already in the bonus within four minutes we didn't play defense and we just started the game off wrong.  Texas Southern is trying to get in first place and my young ladies have to stay focused the race is not over.  We have to have faith that anything can happen I just hate that we waited until SWAC play to try and get it right.  Tonight we played in 10 or 12 different directions and you're not going to win many basketball games like that.  We as a coaching staff are going to have figure out what will work for the team, because we are not playing like an ASU women's basketball team right now.”
 
After falling behind by 20 points in the opening minutes of the second half TSU continued its surge pulling away for good and led by double digits the remainder of the game.  ASU never rebounded back from the deficit scoring only 16 more points to close out the game.
 
“We are definitely going to have to work on how we play as a team, Freeman-Jackson said.  “We had an opportunity to make a run and cut the deficit down to 10 after the break.  Paige played really hard but then makes a foul, before we go into the locker room and now we are down by 16.  If we would have continued to play defense we could have cut the lead to eight at the half.  Then the momentum shifts and we don't play possession basketball.  You can only make one basket at a time we are not going to get it back with one spectacular shot. You have to ease your way back into the game and we have not figured that out at this point.”
 
Texas Southern had four players in double-digits led by Brianna Sidney with 14 points, while teammates Teera Williams scored 13 and Gianne Fleming and Crystal Anyiem each placed 10 points apiece on scoreboard.
 
Quentori Alford led both teams on the board with 12 rebounds she also added eight points in the loss.  Amaria Brown added seven rebounds and five points.
 
“We have a few days to prepare and act like this game never existed,” Freeman-Jackson quoted.  “We need to forget about this game and really sit down and figure some things out starting with cutting down the rotation.”
 
The Lady Hornets will return to the hardwood floor for Connection Day when they host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.