The Jackson State University Lady Tigers jumped out to an insurmountable 24-point lead at halftime and never looked back, cruising to an 82-43 victory over Florida A&M here at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center on Saturday.
The win kept the Lady Tigers undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 12-0, 14-6 overall. Florida A&M fell to 2-20 overall and 3-9 in the conference (including a win by forfeit) with the loss.
"I'm proud of how we played today," said JSU head coach
Tomekia Reed. "We still have some areas to get better in and we have to manage our energy better, but overall I saw my team grow. Grabbing 54 rebounds is no easy task, so I'm proud of them for being diligent on the boards."
It didn't take long for the Lady Tigers to set the tempo for the game, outscoring FAMU 26-17 in the first quarter behind 61.5 percent shooting from the floor. Then, after outscoring the Lady Rattlers 22-7 in the second, Jackson State went into the locker room at the half with a 48-24 lead.
Things didn't change much in the second half for either team, with the Lady Tigers holding FAMU to just 11 points in the third frame (19-11) and eight in the fourth (15-8). For the game, JSU shot 50.8 percent, connecting on 32 of 63 shots from the field, and held the Lady Rattlers to 26.0 percent on 13-for-50 shooting. The Lady Tigers were spectacular on the defensive end, outrebounding FAMU 54-to-19.
Only two JSU players scored in double figures, but that tandem alone outscored the entire FAMU team.
Senior center Ameshya Williams, the frontrunner for SWAC player of the year, led the way with a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double. She was unstoppable, connecting on 77.8 percent of her shots from the floor while going 14-for-18.
Redshirt junior forward
Miya Crump went 9-for-11 from the floor (81.8 percent), en route to scoring 21 points. She was also 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
"Miya and Ameshya both were dynamic," said Reed. "They did a great job of scoring the ball in the paint. I'm ecstatic about their rebounding as well. They played tough and heady and I'm proud of their leadership."
JSU will host Bethune-Cookman on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
