HOUSTON, Tx. – Alabama State Lady Hornets went on the road to battle the Texas Southern Tigers in the first of their two-game Texas road trip. The Hornets beat the Tigers in convincing fashion with a 74-62 win. 

Jayla Crawford was on fire in this game, recording 22 points and 5 rebounds; however, Crawford did have help from her fellow Lady Hornets. Shmya Ward had 12 points and 8 rebounds, Ayanna Emmanuel had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, and Tyesha Rudolph had 12 points and 6 rebounds, along with 2 assists. The Hornets played great defense and everyone stepped up on that side of the ball. For the Tigers, their standout player was Te’Aire Hambrick, who had 17 points and connected on 4 three point shots. Tameria White also pitched in with 10 points. 

Both teams played very sloppy the first half, especially in the first quarter where both teams only scored 9 points, respectively. When the second half began, it looked like ASU truly left the first half behind them as they exploded for 30 points in the third quarter behind a stellar play from Jayla Crawford. Crawford took the game over in the third quarter almost outscoring the entire Texas Southern team by putting up an efficient 15 points to their 18. Every one of her points extended the lead for ASU and was demoralizing for TSU. 

ASU played great defense in the second half as well. They hustled in their rotations and often limited TSU to one possession. The Hornets played, inspired, and determined in what might have been their best half of the season. The Tigers couldn’t keep up and that led to ASU going up as much as 21 points. The Tigers converted on a few shots in garbage time, but it was not enough to make a dent in the lead that the Hornets had gotten. 

The Hornets look to build on the momentum from this game as they face the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Monday.