MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University women's basketball team found itself fighting from behind most of the night until they were able to tie the game up with less 35 seconds to play, only to have the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff hit a late free throw to seal a 52-51 victory over the Lady Hornets at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome Saturday.
 
"We didn't play well," Alabama State head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson said. "We didn't play well at all, Pine-Bluff is old school and we knew they were going to play us pretty hard. We knew it was going to a hard-fought battle tonight, they are playing better and knocked off Texas Southern. They came in here with a lot of confidence and came in here thinking they could beat us, although we beat them pretty good at their place. And it didn't help we were sluggish most of the week in practice."
 
Alabama State (8-12, 7-3 SWAC) struggled shooting the basketball in the second and third quarter, allowing Arkansas Pine Bluff (8-13, 5-5 SWAC) to go on a 17-2 run and open the lead to 39-32 with 1:51 to play in the third quarter before the Lady Hornets stormed back. In the 20 minutes of the second and third quarter, the Lady Hornets were outscored 27-15 and converted on just 27.3 (6-of-22) percent of their shots in the two quarters combined.
 
"We are going to have change up the second quarter," Jackson said. "We are going to have to make an adjustment, and believe or not down there we only scored five or seven points in the second quarter but we had enough cushion to get by. We have to figure it out, it's a tough loss, but at the same time all is not lost because we still have a chance in the conference."
 
However, things turned in the fourth quarter as the Lady Hornets made a push beginning with the pressure out of the timeout, down 43-39 with 6:35 to play in the contest. Alabama State was able to trim the lead to 46-44 with 5:09 remaining when Shamyiah Smith hit a running jumper in the lane as the shot clock went off, before UAPB was able to push it back to five at 50-45 with just 63 seconds remaining in the contest.
 
Alabama State quickly came down the floor and hit a wide-open Ziara Doe, who hit a three with 50.4 seconds remaining to pull within two at 50-48. After the Lady Golden Lions hit just one of two free throws, Doe hit another three with just 31.7 seconds remaining in the contest to tie the game at 51-all. However, Arkansas-Pine Bluff got the last shot as they drove to the basket and drew a foul as the shot clock expired and left just 1.7 seconds remaining in the contest. Ashlee Daniel hit the back end of the two-shot foul, giving UAPB the lead and Alabama State was unable to get a shot away before the buzzer sounded.
 
"I thought we pushed the pressure in the fourth quarter," Jackson said. "I thought Doe did a good job of knocking down back-to-back threes to tie the game, but we didn't finish it. You are talking about getting one stop and you don't come up with it, and clear the rebound to send it to overtime to let it be decided there."
 
Daniele Ewert and Britney Wright led Alabama State each with 13 points in the loss, with Wright adding eight rebounds for the Lady Hornets. Alabama State shot just 35.4 (17-of-48) percent from the floor, including 31.8 (7-of-22) percent from beyond the arc in the loss. The Lady Hornets also shot just 43.5 (10-of-23) percent from the free throw line.
 
Meanwhile, Faith Ohanta posted a double-double for Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Destiny Brewton scored a game-high 15.
 
"You are not going to beat a team like this the way we played in the first half," Jackson said. "You are not going to beat a team that is hanging around, playing extremely hard and winning all the little things. All the little things matter and I thought today, this team really outworked us. We cannot afford to let that happen."
 
Alabama State returns to action Monday night against Mississippi Valley State at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome with tip set for 5:30 pm.
 
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