Final Stats

CARBONDALE, ILL. -- Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Britney Wright scored 11 of her game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter including her team's final seven as defending SWAC Champion Alabama State edged Siena Women's Basketball 57-53 in a Preseason WNIT consolation game at SIU Arena.

Junior captain Meghan Donohue and sophomore guard Kollyns Scarbrough led the Saints (0-4) with 12 points apiece. Donohue added three steals, while Scarbrough reached double figures in scoring for the fourth straight game to start the year.

Neither team led by more than six points at any juncture and by no more than three points in the second half until the final minute. In a second half which featured five ties and five lead changes, Scarbrough finished a tough transition layup with 3:29 remaining to give Siena its final advantage at 50-48 with 3:29 to play.

However Alabama State's (1-2) Shamyiah Smith tied things one final time with a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and then Wright took over. She hit the go-ahead layup with 2:40 to play and then converted an old fashioned three-point play with just 59 seconds to go to push the Lady Hornets' lead to five.

Freshman guard Jackie Benitez responded with a three to give Siena a chance, but Wright answered with a put-back following a miss at the other end to ice it.

Wright added seven rebounds and swiped three of Alabama State's 12 steals. The Lady Hornets' full court pressure induced the Saints into 22 miscues, and Alabama State held a 24-11 edge in points off turnovers.

Sophomore forward Margot Hetzke contributed nine points and five points rebounds for the Saints, while classmate Emmanuella Edoka posted her second straight double-digit rebound effort off the bench with 12 caroms to go along with five points.

Ashanti Spencer joined Wright in double figures for Alabama State with 11 points and four steals in 14 minutes of action.

Siena, which opens its season with 11 of its first 14 games away from home including nine true road games and five of its first six contests in tournaments, returns to action next week for the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Md. The Saints open against host Navy Friday at 6 p.m.