TALLAHASSEE, Fla. | The Alabama State women's basketball team got a 20-point showing from the bench, but fell 70-66 to the Florida A&M Rattlers on the road Saturday.
The Hornets (3-22, 3-11) had two players score in double figures, led by Cordasia Harris, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Solangelei Akridge added 17 points and DaKiyah Sanders added seven points and four assists.
Alabama State forced 16 Florida A&M turnovers while committing 14 themselves in Saturday's game. The Hornets turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor. Kristian Jackson led the way individually with two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama State started off strong, putting together a 16-15 lead heading into the second quarter. Alabama State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 14 of its 16 points close to the basket.
Florida A&M rallied to take a 22-18 lead before Alabama State went on a 6-0 run starting at the 7:26 mark in the second period to take a 24-22 lead. The Rattlers then came roaring back to take a 38-32 lead heading into halftime.
Florida A&M continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 52-45 advantage before Alabama State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Akridge, to trim its deficit to 52-50 with zero seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Alabama State took advantage of five Florida A&M turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of takeaways.
Florida A&M kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 65-56 advantage before Alabama State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Akridge's three, to shrink the deficit to 65-61 with 2:24 to go in the contest. The Hornets were unable to cut further into the deficit by the end of the game, losing 70-66. Alabama State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring four of its 16 total points.
GAME NOTES
» The Alabama State bench came alive by adding 20 points to its scoring output.
» The Alabama State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» The Hornets were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Cordasia Harris led the Hornets with 20 points.
» Alabama State got a team-high nine rebounds from Cordasia Harris.
UP NEXT: Alabama State wraps up the two-game road trip against Bethune-Cookman on Monday at 4:30 p.m. (CT).
