Box Score The Alabama State women's basketball team dropped a 56-54 nail-biter to the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes on Saturday evening at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
 
"This was a tough loss for us, any time you try to stay in the SWAC race and you lose at home it puts you in a deep hole," head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson said. "Our juniors and seniors didn't step up to the plate and step like we needed them to. Anytime you have a team with returning players and they don't make plays when you need them to, you will end up like this."
 
The Lady Hornets (7-7 overall/0-3 SWAC) were outrebounded by the Devilettes 20-17 in the first half but that didn't stop them from going into the locker room with a four point lead. Nakiya Smith led the Lady Hornets with ten points to close the half but it was a series of three-pointers by freshman Kayla Tucker that gave the Hornets that push they needed. Tucker entered the game at the 6:31 mark and made her first three at 5:21 to tie the game at 17. She continued putting up three's with her next one coming at the 4:48 mark to take a three point lead.  She finished the half with nine points in six minutes.  The Lady Hornets led at the half 29-25
 
"Kayla Tucker did exactly what we wanted her to do she came and made some keyshots for us to close the half. " Freeman-Jackson stated. "We can't count on her to carry the team, she's playing her role as a freshman now we need our upperclassman to step up and lead the team."    
 
Alabama State opened the second half on a run but couldn't hold onto the ball as they commited 11 turnovers in the half. Mississippi Valley capitalized off the Lady Hornets turnovers by scoring 10 points and another 22 points in the paint
 
ASU shot only 40 percent from the field for the game. In the second half, State went seven-for-28, shooting only 25 percent.
 
Danielle Gazaway led all Lady Hornets scorers with 12 points, while Brittney Wright recorded eight rebounds in the effort.
 
Leading scorer for MVSU (3-10/2-0) was Jasmyne Sanders with 19 points to lead all scorers, and Ashley Beals nine rebounds.
 
The Lady Hornets will host conference foe Arkansas Pine-Bluff Monday at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of ASU. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.