ITTA BENA, Miss. | Alabama State battled through a week of adversity and still was able to come away with a 66-61 win over Mississippi Valley State Saturday afternoon at the Harrison HPER Complex.
 
The Lady Hornets (6-15, 3-7 SWAC) had just eight players dressed out, yet still found a way to grind out the hard-fought victory in hostile territory. Alabama State took an eight-point lead in the first quarter, but the Devilettes (2-19, 1-9 SWAC) slowly clawed back and almost finished the comeback.
 
Jayla Crawford put the team on her shoulders and turned in a 17-point performance to lead Alabama State in the contest. Crawford has now scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, getting back on track after losing her streak last time out.
 
Joining Crawford as double-digit scorers were Ayana Emmanuel and Hannah White. Emmanuel eclipsed the 10-point threshold for the 13th time in 21 games this year after scoring 14 against Valley.
 
A freshman from Columbus, Miss., White was able to play close to home for the first time in her collegiate career and made the most of it. The guard scored 12 points, had three assists and grabbed two boards.

Leading Valley on the stat sheet was Shelli Thigpen, who tallied 19 points while pulling down six rebounds – she also had one steal and one assist.

Notable
- Monday marked the 14th different starting lineup that Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson has used through 21 games in the 2019-2020 season.
 
- Jayla Crawford once again scored in double figures for ASU with 17 in the contest. Crawford has scored at least 10 points in eight of the Lady Hornets' last nine SWAC games.
 
- Crawford's 17 points are the third most she's scored in a single game this season. She scored a season-high 22 points against Mississippi Valley when the teams met in Montgomery back in January.
 
- Alabama State led for 33:13 of the 40-minute game and got 33 points in bench production.
 
Up Next
The Lady Hornets will look to carry over momentum from Saturday into their contest Monday night at UAPB. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Pine Bluff.

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