ITTA BENA – (Women's Basketball) The Devilettes of Mississippi Valley State University soared to a 60-58 nail-biting victory over the Alabama A & M Lady Bulldogs.
In the opening quarter the pendulum swung in favor of Alabama A & M, as they carried a 20-13 lead at the conclusion of the quarter. Christina Reed scored the first basket of the contest for MVSU with a free-throw at the 9:23 mark. A jumper by Hilary Williams propelled AAMU ahead 2-1 with 8:14 remaining in the quarter. Ashley Beals nailed a jumper to reclaim the lead for Mississippi Valley, 3-2.
The second period started on the fingertips of Beals with an in-the-paint layup (9:11). Jameica Cobb responded with a layup for the Lady Bulldogs to extend their lead back to seven points. A pair of free throws by Alabama A & M lead to a nine point advantage over the Devilettes. Reed pulled up and nailed a three-pointer to take the score to 24-18. AAMU closed first half with a set of shots from the charity stripe, ending the half 36-28, Lady Bulldogs up.
Despite scoring the opening points, points weren't plentiful for the Alabama A & M during the third, as Mississippi Valley held the Lady Bulldogs to eight, while scoring 23. Reed landed both free throws with at the 9:23 mark. Reed followed up with a three-pointer to bring the Devilettes within four. Lauren Elliot got into the action with a three at 9:00 to take the score to 37-36. At the conclusion of the quarter, MVSU was up 51-44.
The final 10-minutes turned into a nail biter as both teams fought valiantly for the victory. AAMU held the edge, outscoring Mississippi Valley 14-9. Their attempts were futile after such a dominant third by the Devilettes.
Beals paced the Devilettes with 16-points, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists; while Reed tallied 13-points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Elliot finished with five steals to give Mississippi Valley the edge.
The Devilettes will be back in action on Monday, January 9 at 5:30 p.m. when they host the Lady Hornets of Alabama State University.
