MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State dropped a 79-58 matchup with Jackson State in their Southwestern Athletic Conference home opener inside the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Saturday afternoon.
 
Alabama State (3-9, 2-1 SWAC) trailed 20-13 after the first quarter, but outscored the Tigers in the second to go into the half trailing 37-32.
 
Jackson State used the third quarter to pull away, scoring 24 in the frame behind nine from Ameysha Williams-Holiday. They also held Alabama State to just 12 points during the span, that included a 12-0 run with just under seven minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
Alabama State continued to fight in the fourth but could not regain momentum, as Jackson State led for most of the game that saw just one lead change. The Hornets outscored the Tigers in fastbreak points 9-7 and 31-11 in bench points, however the Tigers dominated second chance points and took the battle in the paint 36-30.
 
The Hornets finished the game shooting 31.8 (21-of-66) percent from the floor, 36.4 (4-of-11) percent from three and 70.6 (12-of-17) percent from the free throw line.
 
Ayana Emmanuel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) led the Hornets with a season-high 18 points along with three rebounds and three assists, while Shmya Ward (Memphis, Tenn.) added 14 points and three rebounds.
 
Ameshya Williams-Holiday led Jackson State on the afternoon with 26 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks, while Dayzsha Rogan added 20 points in 32 minutes of play.
 
UP NEXT
Alabama State will remain at home on Monday as they host Alcorn State for a 5:30 pm tip. All spectators must present a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours prior to tip to attend.
 
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