Bulldogs defeat Toreros in Thanksgiving Classic

SAN DIEGO | Alabama A&M women’s basketball wrapped up the San Diego Thanksgiving Classic after defeating the San Diego Toreros 78-67 on Saturday afternoon. Four Bulldogs finished in double figures Kalia Walkers Season high of 24 points.

Walker shot 50 percent from behind the arc and scored 12 of 14 from the line. senior Lauryn Pendleton added 15 points in the contest and added four assists and two steals for the team. Kourtney Rittenberry led the Bulldogs defensively with eight rebounds in addition to her 13 points. Alisha Wilson Five boards and a block followed in addition to her 11 points.

Kylie Horstmeyer led the Toreros with 15 points and two blocks. Lauren McCall, Truitt Reilly and Ava Ranson all scored 12 points. Reilly and Courtney Wristen each grabbed six boards and Ranson added a team-high five assists. The US dollar took a big hit as it saw 34 of its 67 points on the inside. AAMU was the first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school that San Diego faced and now leads the series 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The home team was first on the field and quickly built a 13-6 lead, prompting a Bulldogs break with just over four minutes left in the first frame
• A three-pointer from Walker and a jumper from Pendleton cut the Torero lead to two
• San Diego managed to pull away by six points, but the Bulldogs scored six of the next eight points to get within a pair of USD at the end of the first frame
• Another shot from behind the arc by Walker, followed by a layup by Wilson, tied the contest at 21 and forced the Toreros to call for a timeout
• USD took a four-man lead, but two AAMU layups tied the game again (25-25).
• Wilson sank a contested layup and Sanders shot from beyond the arc to give the Bulldogs a 30-26 lead
• A Pendleton buzzer-beater sent the teams into halftime tied at 32-32
• Two three-pointers and a layup from Rittenberry gave the Bulldogs a five-point lead heading into the second half, leading to an interception by Torero with six and a half minutes left
• AAMU went on a 5-2 run and secured its largest lead of the game to date at 47:39
• A three-point play from Wilson increased the Bulldog lead and a three-pointer from Walker gave AAMU a comfortable 57-43 lead at the end of the quarter
• The Toreros were the first to score in the final frame, but Pendleton added a layup and drew a foul on the way down to further control the contest, 60-45
• San Diego cut the game to eight points at 63-55, but a Rittenberry midfielder regained the double-digit lead with four minutes left in regulation
• USD went on a 7-2 run to cut the Bulldog lead to six, but two free throws from Walker and an open jumper from Rittenberry brought Alabama A&M within 10 points and led to a Torero timeout with less than a minute to play (76). – 66)
• San Diego only scored one more point, but it wouldn’t be enough as Alabama A&M took the win 78-67.

GAME NOTES

• Alabama A&M shot 45.5 percent (25 of 55) from the field and 84.6 percent (22 of 26) from the free throw line
• AAMU went 6-16 (37.5 percent) from behind the arc
• The Bulldogs totaled 27 rebounds, 16 of which were defensive
• Kalia Walker scored a season-high 24 points
• Lauryn Pendleton There were also 15 points and four assists, the highest on the team
• Kourtney Rittenberry scored 13 points and tied for a team-high eight boards
• Alisha Wilson Totaled 11 points, five rebounds, 2 steals and a block in the win on Saturday afternoon
• The Bulldogs finished the game with 30 team points, 31 points off 19 Torero turnovers and 19 bench points
• AAMU had 12 steals compared to USD’s six and led by as many as 15 points
• The Toreros shot 49 percent (24 of 49) from the field, 83.3 percent from the line (15 of 18) and 36.4 percent (4 of 11) from behind the arc
• San Diego grabbed 29 rebounds
• Kylie Horstmeyer led the Toreros with 15 points
• Lauren McCall, Truitt Reilly and Ava Ranson all scored 12 points
• Reilly and Courtney Wristen each grabbed six boards and Ranson added a team-high five assists.
• San Diego collected 14 bench points and saw 34 points from the field.

NEXT

The Alabama A&M women’s basketball team will return to the hardwood in a week, traveling to Lindenwood, Missouri to take on the Lindenwood Lions on Saturday, December 7 at 1 p.m

Read the full article