MVSU, SU and A&M Streaking to the Finish
SWAC.org
Mississippi Valley State (15-12, 12-4) 63, Grambling (12-13, 8-7) 57
GRAMBLING - Mississippi Valley State stayed on course to secure a No. 1 seed in the SWAC Tournament on Saturday with a win over Grambling State. With the win, MVSU kept sole possession of first place in in the conference with their third consecutive victory. Four MVSU players scored double-figures with De'Kisha Fondon leading the way with 16 points. Brittney Lakes contributed 14 points while Khristina Clemons came off the bench to score 13. Lenise Stallings chipped in 11 for the Devilettes. Wymkea Randle led Grambling with 12 points and 15 rebounds. The game, which included eight lead changes, was tied at 28 at halftime. MVSU held its largest lead at 17 with eight minutes left in the game.
Southern (12-11, 11-5) 35, Alcorn State (10-16, 8-8) 32
LORMAN - Southern stayed hot on Mississippi Valley State's heels with a win on the run over Alcorn State in a low-scoring affair. Both teams struggled on offense as Southern hit only 31% (13-of-42) from the field and Alcorn was a dismal 11-of-38 for .289. The Jaguars led 17-16 at halftime, but the Lady Braves had a 28-22 lead with 7:50 left. Alcorn State rallied to tie the game at 30-all with 2:00 remaining. But, Laniesha Stephens made a layup with 1:35 left to put Southern on top for good. Jamie Floyd, Jasmine Jefferson and Kendra Coleman all had eight points to lead Southern. Floyd also had 11 rebounds. Sharnika Breelove and Renelle Richmond each tallied seven points to pace Alcorn State.
Alabama A&M (15-10, 10-5) 61, Prairie View (11-15, 8-7) 49
PRAIRIE VIEW - Alabama A&M continued to keep the top of the SWAC standings crowded as they knocked off Prairie View to remain just a game and a half out of first place. Alyssa Strickland tallied 12 points and six rebounds to lead A&M. Whiquitta Tobar had a double-double, fininshing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She also had five assists. Nadra Robertson also tallied double digits, chipping in 10 points. Latia Williams had 14 points and six rebounds to pace PVAM. JaQuandria Williams added 12 points, while Larissa Scott had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Alabama State (12-12, 9-6) 52, Texas Southern (4-22, 2-13) 51
HOUSTON - The Texas Southern Lady Tigers had a chance to break their six-game slide when they faced Alabama State in the H&PE Arena. But, what seemed to be an opportunity to celebrated, slowly turned into a heartbreaking loss. The Lady Tigers were aggressive coming out of the gate. They had a three point lead (13-10) midway through the first half. Texas Southern led 27-19 at halftime. Gianne Fleming led the way with 11 points. TSU kept their momentum going into the second half. Texas Southern led by 10 (37-27) with 14:29 on the clock. The Lady Tigers then seemed to hit a brick wall at that point. Alabama State went on an 18-3 run over the next seven minutes to take a 45-40 advantage. TSU stepped up and tied the game four times in the closing minutes but could not pull away. Alabama State hit a free-throw with 34 seconds left in the game for a one point lead. Texas Southern had an opportunity to steal a win, but a missed shot and turnover sealed their fate. TSU lost the game 51-52. Fleming ended the game with 13 points. Kayla West had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists while Azalea Hall had nine rebounds and eight points.
Jackson State (11-13, 8-7) 62, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-26, 1-15) 45
JACKSON - Jackson State held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 29% shooting from the floor in a win on Saturday. In contrast, JSU hit 20-of-44 fieldgoals (.455). Four players scored double figures for the Lady Tigers. Tiffany Kellum led the way with 12 points and eight rebounds. Daria Hester added 11 points, while Alisa Ross tallied 10 points and seven rebounds and Beatrice Banks contributed 10 points. Lakendra Marsh led UAPB with 11 points, while Jenise Gentry dropped in 10.
Upcoming SWAC Women's Schedule
Monday (Feb. 27)
Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State / 3:00
Alabama State at Prairie View / 5:30
Alabama A&M at Texas Southern / 5:30
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling / 5:30
Thursday (Mar. 1)
Texas Southern at Alcorn State / 2:00
Jackson State at Alabama A&M / 5:30
Prairie View at Southern / 5:30
Grambling at Alabama State / 5:30
Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff / 5:30
Saturday (Mar. 3)
Texas Southern at Southern / 2:00
Grambling at Alabama A&M / 3:00
Jackson State at Alabama State / 3:00
Prairie View at Alcorn State / 5:00
Tuesday-Saturday (Mar. 6-10)
SWAC Basketball Tournament
Garland, Texas