Albany State women advance in conference tournament

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Kayla Green’s fast break layup with .07 seconds left in regulation capped a furious comeback and lifted the Albany State women’s basketball team to a 61-59 victory over Kentucky State in the first round of the 2017 SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Monday night.

ASU, the fourth seed from the SIAC East Division, improved to 8-19 overall and advances to face Benedict on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Albany State had to battle tournament jitters and foul trouble during the first half. Junior forward Elesha Foster picked up two early fouls during the first quarter, and Kentucky State took advantage. The Lady Rams trailed 18-8 after period.

In the second quarter, ASU was able to cut its deficit to 18-12 at the 8:28 mark. However, Kentucky State remained hot from the field, shooting 60 percent in the quarter. When halftime arrived, the Lady Thorobreds had built a 40-22 edge.

The Lady Rams used the third quarter to begin their rally. Zuri Frost scored eight points, and ASU outscored KSU 17-11 to pull within 12, 51-39, heading into the final period.

Trailing 51-41 in the fourth quarter, Albany State used a 14-4 run over six minutes to tie the game with a layup by Green. Brooke Wallace put Kentucky State back in front 56-55 with a free throw, but Foster, with 3:06 left to play, made two free tosses to give ASU its first lead of the game at 57-56.

On the Lady Rams’ next possession, Shantrell Holland extended Albany State’s lead to 59-56 with 2:27 remaining. Aliyah Gipson’s 3-pointer provided KSU with another tie at 59 at the 2:08 mark.

After both teams exchanged turnovers and missed shots, ASU was able to rebound a miss by Brittani Rizzi. Frost found a streaking Green down the court, who scored a layup with .07 left in the game. Rizzi got off a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it wasn’t close.

Frost finished the game with 20 points and six rebounds, while Green recorded 15 points. Foster added another 10 points.