Jackson State avoids upset, beats Valley 68-52

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Jackson State head coach Denis Taylor is banking on her team’s defense carrying the Lady Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title. The No. 8 seed Lady Devilettes of Mississippi Valley (7-21) struggled offensively as No. 1 seed Lady Tigers of Jackson State (21-9) breezed to a 68-52 on Wednesday at the Birmingham-Jefferson Complex Center Arena.
“Our defense was good and that’s the thing that made the game,” said Lady Tigers head coach Denise Taylor. “Anytime that you can come into the tournament and win the first game that’s a good sign.”
Senior forward and All-SWAC Player of the Year Shelita Burns dominated the smaller Lady Devilette defenders going 4-of-5 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line with 14 points by the end of the first half.
“I was just hungry for the win,” said Burns. “One of the biggest things that I did was being mentally focused and that helped me a lot.”
The Lady Tigers shot 37.9 percent from the field in comparison to the Lady Devilettes 25 percent by halftime.
“I think that the kids hustled out there, we just missed the open shots,” said Devilettes head coach Nathaniel Kilbert. “You have to make the shots to be good at this game and Jackson stepped up and made the shots on us.”
Valley’s Portia Wilson took charge for Valley with a game total of 34 points and 12 rebounds but her lone points did not add up for a win for the Lady Devilettes.
For Jackson State, Burns scored 24 points, junior forward Carena Easley added 13, and senior guard Shante Stanford concluded with 13 points.
Jackson finished the game shooting 22-of-51 from the field and 20-of-29 from the free throw line ultimately averaging 43. 1 percent. Valley finished shooting 21-of-63 from the field and 7-of-15 from the free throw line.
Taylor said that the Lady Tigers are going to continue to play hard and implement their defensive tactics during the rest of the tournament.
“We’re going to continue to play hard but play smart,” said Taylor. “Our defense has to be good. Our more veteran players are going to have to step up even more. And overall we’re just good to have to implement our all around defense.”