GRAMBLING, LA | The Alabama State women's basketball team got a 31-point performance from the bench, but fell 65-48 to the Grambling Tigers on the road Saturday.
DaKiyah Sanders led the Hornets (3-18, 3-7) with nine points and five steals. Cordasia Harris tacked on eight points and two blocks off of the bench and Donyeil Bolton chipped in as well with two points.
Bolton pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Alabama State, grabbing 13 boards and turning them into seven second chance points.
Alabama State forced 23 Grambling turnovers. The Hornets turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Sanders' five steals led the way for Alabama State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 22-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Alabama State kept the Tigers from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Anaja Hall, to narrow its deficit to 27-22. Grambling responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Hornets trailing 37-25 heading into halftime.
Grambling continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 39-25 advantage before Alabama State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a three from Solangelei Akridge, to trim its deficit to 39-33 with 7:32 to go in the third. Grambling countered and stretched its lead to 54-43 heading into the fourth. Alabama State knocked down four three-pointers in the quarter to score 12 of its 18 total points.
Alabama State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 65-48. Alabama State took advantage of nine Grambling turnovers in the quarter, scoring two points off of those takeaways.
GAME NOTES
» The Hornets shared the ball well, recording an assist on 75 percent of made field goals.
» The Alabama State bench came alive by scoring 31 points to its scoring output.
» The Alabama State defense forced 23 turnovers.
» Alabama State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» DaKiyah Sanders led the Hornets with nine points.
» Alabama State got five rebounds from both DaKiyah Sanders and Donyeil Bolton.
UP NEXT: Alabama State takes on Southern Uniersity on Monday at 3 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La.
