MONTGOMERY, Ala. | the Alabama State University's rally from a 16-point defict came up short as Texas Southern Univesirty held off the Lady Hornets, 69-67, at the Dunn-Oliver Acadeome on Monday night.
Taylor Smith, Kaitlyn Bryant and Justina Graham combined to score 57 total points. Bryant led the Hornets (5-14, 3-4) with 24 points. Graham tacked on a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Taylor Smith chipped in as well with 14 points, five assists and two steals.
Alabama State out-rebounded Texas Southern 48-46 in Monday's game, paced by Graham's 14 boards. The Hornets also grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second chance points.
Alabama State forced 20 Texas Southern turnovers. The Hornets turned those takeaways into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Amari Franklin led the way individually with three steals.
How It Happened
Alabama State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 21-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Hornets continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 41-25 halftime deficit.
Alabama State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 41-31 with 8:15 to go in the third. The Hornets continued to reduce the Texas Southern lead, shrinking it to 52-46 by the end of the third quarter. Alabama State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 21 points in the paint.
Alabama State kept the Tigers from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Bryant's three, to shrink the deficit to 54-53 with 6:45 to go in the contest. Texas Southern responded and outscored the Hornets the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 69-67. Alabama State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring seven of its 21 total points.
Game Notes
» Graham notched her first career double-double for the Lady Hornets with 19 points and and a career-high 14 rebounds.
» The Hornets held the Tigers to only 39.4 percent shooting from the field.
» Bryant, Graham, and Smith combined to account for 85 percent of the Hornets points.
» Alabama State played solid perimeter defense, holding Texas Southern to 15 percent from 3-point land on 20 attempts.
» The Alabama State bench made an impact by adding 26 points to its scoring output.
» Alabama State lost despite a 48-46 rebounding advantage.
» The Alabama State defense forced 20 turnovers leading to 18 points off turnovers.
» Alabama State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 22 offensive boards.
» Bryant netted a career-high 24 points
Up Next: Alabama State travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Florida A&M University on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
