Alabama A&M used a strong defensive effort and a dominant fourth quarter to pull away from Texas Southern for an 81–63 win Saturday, extending the Bulldogs’ SWAC winning streak and reaching a milestone win for coach Dawn Thornton.
Four Alabama A&M players scored in double figures, led by Kalia Walker, who finished with 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Coriah Beck added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Rakiyah Beal and Moses Davenport each scored 13.
“We definitely understood how important this game was for us,” Alabama A&M coach Dawn Thornton said. “What we did defensively really worked in our favor. That’s something we’ve taken pride in all year.”
The win was the 125th career victory for Thornton as a head coach.
Daeja Holmes and Ayanna Jackson scored 12 points apiece for Texas Southern. Aaliyah Henderson added 11 points and five rebounds.
Alabama A&M led 31–24 at halftime before holding off a third-quarter push from Texas Southern and taking control in the fourth. The Bulldogs outscored the Lady Tigers 30–21 in the final period while shooting 71.4 percent from the field over the final 10 minutes.
Thornton also pointed to the impact of Jaida Belton, a transfer from Texas Southern, whose defense helped spark the decisive run against her former team..
“Once she got into a rhythm defensively, making stops and getting big rebounds, she sparked the whole team,” Thornton said.
“We knew that it was going to be a lot of anxiety for Jaida, but really been coaching her through it all week. As far as what that looks like and what she needed to do.”
Alabama A&M improved to 10–9 overall and 6–1 in SWAC play. Texas Southern fell to 8–12 and 4–4 in conference action.