BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Ayana Emmanuel poured in 17 points and Alabama State ran away from Alabama A&M 60-46 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action inside of Bill Harris Arena.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that featured multiple lead changes. Alabama State (4-12, 3-2 SWAC) took a 39-38 advantage to open the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs (8-8, 3-2 SWAC) would never reclaim the lead. Alabama State opened the final stanza on an 11-0 run, pushing the lead out to seven (45-38). The Lady Hornets outscored Alabama A&M 25-8 in the final quarter.
 
Emmanuel led Alabama State with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. She was joined in double figures by Jayla Crawford, who tallied 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Shmya Ward pulled down five rebounds to go along with nine points, while Areleatha Gipson chipped in nine points.
 
Alabama State finished the night shooting 52.2 (24-of-46) percent from the floor and hit on 52.2 (12-of-23) percent from the free throw line.
 
Nigeria Jones led A&M with 18 points, three rebounds and three steals. Kenya Pye chipped in 7 points and three rebounds for the Bulldogs who finished the night shooting 29 (18-of-62) percent from the floor and just 11.8 (2-of-17) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 53.3 (8-of-15) percent from the free throw line.
 
NOTES & NUMBERS
Alabama State now leads the series with rival A&M, 33-22.
 
Alabama State hauled in 40 rebounds, while the Bulldogs finished with 38.


Alabama State finished with 38 points in the paint, four second-chance points, 13 points off eight Bulldog turnovers and 12 fast break points.
 
Alabama A&M tallied 16 points in the paint, 41 bench points, 16 second-chance points, 12 points off 17 Lady Hornets turnovers and two fast break points.
 
QUOTABLES - Head Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson
General thoughts on tonight: "We knew it was going to be a dog fight, and I asked the girls earlier this week what rivalry meant to them. I was so impressed at Courtney Lee's response that I wrote it on the board for the pregame speech and they executed everything. They understood the magnitude of this game and I couldn't be prouder of this team."

On Alabama A&M run in the third: "I told the girls that A&M outworked us in the third quarter and they need to fight for just ten more minutes. They gave their all in fourth quarter and did a great job of bouncing back."

On an explosive quarter by Emmanuel: "She is a winner and she is very, very competitive. Emmanuel does a great job at causing confusion for any team when we put her at the forward position because she has a great hesitation and can score around the basket."

On Alcorn: "We will enjoy this victory but looking at Alcorn, we know we have a tough team ahead of us. They beat Texas Southern earlier this year so we know it will be tough, but we have to handle business at home."
 
NEXT UP
Alabama State will return home to host Alcorn State on Saturday at 3 pm inside of Dunn-Oliver Acadome. The game can be heard on the Hornets Sports Network beginning at 2:45 pm.
 
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