Entering Saturday's SWAC women's basketball contest, Alabama State and Alcorn State had sported two of the stingiest defenses in the conference.
 
With the Lady Hornets holding opponents to a conference-best .360 field goal percentage and the Lady Braves nearly just as stubborn holding opponents to .384 percent shooting from the floor, the match up pointed toward a grinding style of play with baskets coming at a premium. 
 
As advertised, points were hard to come by in the opening half with neither team connecting for a field goal in the opening 5:30, but Alabama State opened it up with stronger shooting performance in the second half to gut out a 54-45 win at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome Saturday afternoon. 
 
ASU sophomore Britney Wright continued her surge as one of the SWAC's most potent scorers.   Wright, the conference's second-leading scorer at 14.5 points per game, topped the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season. 
 
The 5-foot-10 forward showcased her silky smooth shot by making 8-of-15 from the floor including 2-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-6 from the line for a game-high 22 points.  Wright started just 1-of-6 from the field in the first half, but caught fire in the second by making 7-of-9 thereafter.  She added six rebounds and a team-high three steals. 
 
The game was decided in the second half as Alabama State (8-8, 4-2 SWAC) outscored Alcorn 36-27 after halftime while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. 
 
"It's going to be a defensive battle in the SWAC anyway, but Alcorn always plays great defense," said Alabama State women's basketball coach Freda Freeman-Jackson.  "Their last opponent,  Arkansas-Pine Bluff, was held to 39 points so we knew it was going to be tough for us to score.  If you want to win a [SWAC] championship, it's going to have to be with defense." 
 
And, that's just what the Lady Hornets did as it held the Lady Braves (5-11, 4-3 SWAC) to just 23.4 percent shooting from the field. 
 
Freshman forward Kayla Stephens banked in a shot in the lane to help ASU recapture the lead.  Stephens hit another runner in the lane, going glass once again, to push the lead to four just four minutes into the half. 
 
ASU was able to find their grove from there with Wright connecting on a jumper and skied for a lay in. Stephens followed by being true on a straightaway jumper from 18 feet to cap a 10-0 run. 
 
Alcorn scored five of the game's next six points to cut the lead to 29-23 with 17:04 remaining. 
 
Daniele Ewert slipped a behind-the-back pass to a wide-open Wright, who made a 3-pointer from the wing, and Jasmine Peeples made a free throw to expand the lead to 33-23 with 10:49 left. 
 
Wright was just heating up as she scored the Lady Hornets' next seven points.  She hit another jumper on a feed from Ewert, splashed a 3-pointer from the corner and then came up with a steal and drew a foul before making a pair of free throws to make it ASU 40-24 with 9:42 remaining. 
 
"She [Wright] works hard in practice," Freeman-Jackson said.  "I'm looking for her to get off to a better start.  I had to get on her for that, but I also have to keep in mind that she's a sophomore.  So, as she gets older and gets more experience, she's going to get better and better."
 
In the opening 20 minutes, free throws were the Lady Hornets' saving grace as ASU made good on 9-of-11 from the line.
 
Foul trouble took one of the Lady Hornets' top scorers out of the equation. 
 
Ewert, who entered as Alabama State's third-highest scorer on the team, picked up her third foul with just 12:23 remaining in the first half forcing Freeman-Jackson to sit her.   
 
Sophomore point guard Kayla Tucker provided a spark by driving along the baseline for a bucket and then swished through a 3-pointer to give ASU a 13-9 lead with 9:16 to go in the opening half. 
 
Wright drove down the middle of the floor, got a little bump from her defender, and sank a jumper from about 12 feet away to make it 17-13.  The Lady Braves tied it at 17 and the teams were locked at 18 at halftime. 
 
Norianna Hayes carried Alcorn with 13 of the team's 18 points in the half.  Hayes closed with a team-high 20 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. 
 
Alabama State will have a quick turnaround. 
 
The Lady Hornets will host Southern Monday at 5:30 p.m. for another critical conference game.
 
                                                                                                        #GOHORNETS#