Alcorn slips past SLU, 84-77, in overtime in women’s hoops opener

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana senior guard Taylin Underwood poured in a game-high 35 points, but Alcorn State outlasted the Lady Lions for an 84-77 overtime victory in the 2017-18 regular season opener for both teams Friday night in the University Center.

SLU (0-1) was outscored 12-5 in the extra period to lose its debut under first-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo. Alcorn State (1-0) was able to edge Southeastern thanks to a 59-46 rebounding advantage.

Underwood’s game-high scoring performance helped her move past former Lady Lion Claudia Warren into 15th place in school history with 1,076 career points. The Livingston, Louisiana native was joined in double figures by freshman forward Caitlyn Williams, who posted a double-double in her collegiate debut with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Charliee Dugas added 11 points off the bench for the Lady Lions. Sophomore guard Tyler Morrison led SLU with five assists, while she and Underwood both collected a game-high four steals apiece. Caitlyn Williams paced Southeastern with three blocked shots.

Alcorn State was led by the senior backcourt of Tia Sanders (29 points) and Alexus Freeman (17 points). Senior forward Miracle Rushing added a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Braves.

A bucket by Lady Lion junior forward Kyla Williams tied the score at 70-70 with 3:37 remaining in regulation. The score would stay that way for more than three minutes, until Underwood sunk a pair of free throws to give SLU a 72-70 lead with 19 seconds remaining. On the final possession, Rushing drew a foul and sank the tying free throws with 1.8 seconds left to force overtime.

Kyla Williams gave SLU its last lead with 3:39 left in overtime, scoring off a nice feed by Morrison. However, Alcorn would hold Southeastern without a field goal the rest of the way, closing the game on a 10-1 run to secure the victory.

Southeastern will return to action on Sunday, when it travels to LSU for a 2 p.m. contest in Baton Rouge. Sunday’s game will air on SEC Network+ and can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio app.

Alcorn State 84 (1-0)
Rushing 3-8 6-10 12, Bernard 0-1 1-4 1, Freeman 5-21 5-6 17, Sanders 8-18 8-10 29, Hargrove 3-8 2-4 8, Lafayette 0-0 0-0 0, Dewitt 2-5 3-4 7, Lane 2-6 1-2 6, Fennie 2-2 0-0 4, Wells 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-69 26-40 84.
Southeastern Louisiana 77 (0-1)
K. Williams 2-9 0-4 4, C. Williams 5-11 1-2 11, Underwood 10-25 8-10 35, Morrison 1-4 1-2 3, Brailey 2-9 0-0 5, Dawsey 1-4 2-4 4, Hall 1-3 0-0 2, Carrier 1-2 0-0 2, Dugas 3-7 4-4 11, Scholvin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-75 16-26 77.
End of 1st Quarter – SLU 19, ASU 18. Halftime – SLU 40, ASU 38. End of 3rd Quarter – SLU 65, ASU 60. End of Regulation – SLU 72, ASU 72. 3-point goals – ASU 8-25 (Sanders 5-10, Freeman 2-8, Lane 1-3, Hargrove 0-2, Dewitt 0-2), SLU 9-26 (Underwood 7-15, Brailey 1-5, Dugas 1-3, C. Williams 0-2, Dawsey 0-1). Technical Fouls – None. Rebounds – ASU 59 (Rushing 14), SLU 46 (C. Williams 13). Assists – ASU 11 (Rushing, Freeman 3), SLU 14 (Morrison 5). Fouled Out – Bernard, Freeman, C. Williams. Total Fouls – ASU 26, SLU 30. A – 502.