MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Freshman
Ayana Emmanuel led three players in double figures for Alabama State, but the Lady Hornets came up short in an 80-72 loss to Grambling State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener for both teams at Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Emmanuel led Alabama State (1-11, 0-1 SWAC) with 30 points, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field.
Jayla Crawford poured in 18 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor.
Shmya Ward set a new career-high with 17 points and five rebounds in the loss.
Alabama State shot 49 (25-of-51) percent from the floor in the loss, including 37.5(6-of-16) percent from beyond the arc and 61.5 (16-of-26) percent from the free throw line.
Grambling State (4-9, 1-0 SWAC) led by two (17-15) after one quarter and outscored Alabama State in the second, 23-17, to take a 40-32 advantage into the half. Alabama State answered back after halftime to outscore the Lady Tigers, 22-16, in the third to trail 56-54 going into the final stanza.
Shakyla Hill scored 20 of her 32 points in the second half, including a big three-point play with 2:40 left to play to extend the Lady Tiger lead to five (75-70), forcing Alabama State to foul for the duration of the contest.
Hill led three players from Grambling in double figures with 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Jasmine Coleman and Camryn London each added 13 for the Lady Tigers, with Coleman also collecting eight rebounds.
Grambling finished the day shooting 40 (28-of-70) percent from the floor, including shooting 38.5 (5-of-13) percent from beyond the arc, and 79.2 (19-of-24) percent from the free throw line.
NOTEWORTHY
Emmanuel's 30 points matched a new career-high after scoring 22 against Samford on November 15
The Lady Hornets pulled down 36 rebounds, while Grambling finished with 40
The Lady Tigers were able to score 22 points off of 22 Alabama State turnovers
The lead changed four times and the scored was tied 11 times in the contest
Alabama State finished the game with 34 points in the paint, eight points from 17 Grambling State turnovers and five bench points
The Lady Hornets set a new team-high 12 blocks
QUOTABLES - Head Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson
On facing a tough pre-conference schedule: "We were hoping to pick up a win against one of the mid-major teams we faced earlier this season, but it seems like everyone is having one of their best starts this year. We just want our girls to stay positive and my coaching staff has been doing their best to keep their confidence high."
On freshmen play: "I know this season is going to be tough because we have a lot of freshmen that we are relying on, but I know they can compete with anyone in the SWAC. It's just a matter of us being able to play when the game is tight. We need better decision making, being able to play when fatigued and taking plays off are things we need to work on, and when we do, we will be very special."
On Emmanuel: "She can play as a combo guard and it was good to see her ability to score since we didn't get an opportunity in preseason play. She just has that mindset that she is going to score and we will continue to look to her offensively this season."
UP NEXT
Alabama State will remain at home to face Jackson State on Monday at 5:30 pm inside of Dunn-Oliver Acadome. The pregame show can be heard on the Hornets Sports Network beginning fifteen minutes prior to the game.
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