HOUSTON (AP) Britney Wright scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Alabama State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year with a 55-51 win over Southern in the Southwestern Athletic Association championship game on Saturday.
The top-seeded Hornets (19-11) never trailed but saw a 16-point lead early in the second half cut to two with a minute to play.
Southern (19-11), the league co-champion but seeded second, missed its last three shots after Briana Green's basket with 1:06 made it 53-51. Jasmine Peeples, with 30.6 seconds left, and Wright, at 11.6 seconds, each made 1 of 2 from the line as the Hornets hung on.
Green, who finished with 16 points, and Cortnei Purnell had seven points apiece in the third quarter as the Jaguars cut a 35-22 halftime deficit to 46-40.
Alabama State surged to a 53-42 lead with 5:31 to play but the Hornets missed five shots and had four turnovers after that.
