HOUSTON - Led by the triple threat of Britney Wright, Daniele Ewert and Jasmine Peeples, the Alabama State women's basketball team won the SWAC Tournament Championship with a 73-55 win over Southern Saturday at the Toyota Center.
 
Alabama State (17-14) earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in the era of the Freda Freeman-Jackson era.  The Lady Hornets will learn their tournament opponent and destination during Monday's NCAA Women's Tournament selection show at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
  
Fans can watch a rebroadcast of the SWAC Tournament Championship win Sunday at 10 am on ESPNU.
 
The trio of Lady Hornets was named to the All-Tournament team, with Wright earning Most Valuable Player honors.  
 
Peeples led the team with 18 points, while Wright had 17 and Ewert had 12.  Kayla Tucker and Brittney Smith both had 10 points apiece to add to the win.  This is the first time this season Alabama State had five players in double figures in scoring.
 
"I am very proud of these ladies," exclaimed Freeman-Jackson.  "This has been a long time coming and I am excited about the opportunity of playing in the NCAA Tournament.  These ladies are well deserving of this and they earned it."
 
A potent shooting attack from three-point range set the tone for Alabama State, which never trailed in the game. Tied at 2-2 in the early moments of the game, Tucker started a barrage of 3s for the Lady Hornets as she made three, while Wright and Ewert each made shots from beyond the arch during a five-minute stretch that gave Alabama State a 19-11 lead with 14:08 to play in the first half. The Lady Hornets made seven of 15 three pointers in the game.
 
After the teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, a layup by Wright gave ASU a 28-18 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. Alabama State would lead by at least 10 points the remainder of the game.
 
The Lady Hornets out-rebounded SU 43-30 and shot 50 percent from the field (27-54). The ASU defense limited Southern to under 30 percent shoot from the field (16-52).
 
Peeples and Smith each had nine rebounds, while Smith added six assists, and Ewert five assists as Alabama State had 20 assists on 27 baskets.

"This has been one heck of a week and these girls have played for me and I am glad that they bought into the system, said Freeman-Jackson".  "This  is a young group and for them to have played and made it to the NCAA Tournament is amazing."