JACKSON – Junior Marneisha Hamer posted 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Jackson State past Alcorn State 88-66 Saturday evening in the Southwestern Athletic Conference home opener at the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center.

It's the first SWAC win for JSU head coach Tomekia Reed. The Lady Tigers improved to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the conference, while Alcorn falls to 2-13 and 1-2 in the league.

"I'm proud of our team," Reed said following the win. "We have been focusing on playing team ball and having fun. The first couple of conference games we were uptight and we were not playing together and we took a different route and a different focus and the team has been positive. We really needed a game like this to get us going in the right direction."

Reed also has praise for Hamer, who finished with a double-double.

"Marneisha really brought it tonight," added Reed. "Along with her double-double I thought she shared the ball well and played great on both sides of the court. If we have her playing well, it will help us win conference games and be a tough team throughout the rest of our SWAC schedule."

JSU opened a 21-12 lead and led 42-21 at halftime and never looked back.

The Lady Tigers were efficient from the floor and connected on 50.7 percent (36-of-71) of their shots from the field. The JSU defense posed problems from the opening tip and forced Alcorn into 28 turnovers.

Aside from Hamer, the Lady Tigers used a balanced offensive attack.

Junior Kaisah Lucky dropped 10 points and was an efficient 4-for-5 at the charity stripe. The Brooklyn, New York native also handed out a game-high seven assists.

D'Asia Mitchell was dangerous from beyond the arc and converted 3-of-4 attempts.

Sophomore Antionette Womack came off the bench and dropped nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. The Jackson native also grabbed four rebounds.

Senior Chelsea Causey and freshman Taylor Lattimore each added six points, while sophomore J'Niya Tallie and junior Jasmine Cowen each scored four points. Tallie also added five assists.

The Lady Tigers return to the hardwood Monday and host Southern at 5:30 p.m. at the AAC. The game theme is Red Out. Wear red and be loud!