SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Alabama A&M women’s basketball has an opportunity to make history Saturday as the Bulldogs host in-state rival Alabama State with the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title within reach.
Riding a dominant 14-game winning streak, Alabama A&M holds a two-game lead over second-place Alcorn State with just three games remaining. A victory would secure the program’s first regular-season championship since joining the SWAC and lock up the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Head coach Dawn Thornton’s squad has been nearly unstoppable since dropping its conference opener to Mississippi Valley State in early January. Since then, the Bulldogs have relied on balanced scoring and elite defense to climb to the top of the standings.
Alabama A&M leads the SWAC while averaging 63 points per game and shooting nearly 40 percent from the field. Defensively, the Bulldogs rank among the nation’s best, sitting 17th in scoring defense and 23rd in field-goal percentage defense. They also rank high nationally in free-throw attempts and free throws made per game.
Junior guard Kalia Walker has paced the offense with 14 points per game while leading the SWAC in free-throw percentage. Moses Davenport and Coriah Beck have provided consistent support on both ends of the floor.
Thornton emphasized defense as the key heading into the rivalry clash, calling it a “physical battle” with major postseason implications. With momentum on their side and home-court advantage, the Bulldogs are poised to take care of business and claim the conference crown.
