PINEVILLE, La. – Amani Gray became the newest member of the Louisiana State University of Alexandria women's basketball 1,000-point club in an 87-81 victory against Louisiana Christian University.
 
"It was a dog fight, LSUA Head Coach Billy Perkins said. "The girls did a good job of staying the course defensively. I'm very proud of how they fought. To go into the tournament, you have to have some wins like this."
 
Gray put up nine points to reach the 1,000-point career milestone over the first 15 minutes of the contest.
 
"It feels great," Gray said on hitting the milestone. "Coming to game I knew I was right there, but after I hit the shot to secure it [1,000 points] it got a little easier."
 
The Generals' (15-5, 12-4 RRAC) senior finished with 17 points and was 5-for-12 from the field. She connected on six free throws.  Benedetta Peracchi led LSUA with 24 points. She was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field. Dannah Martin-Hartwick tallied 16 points, while Justice Young recorded nine in her just her second game with the Generals.
 
LSUA registered a nine-point lead, their largest of the first half, with [TT:TT] left on the clock. A late push in the opening stanza saw Louisiana Christian (6-11, 6-9 RRAC) pull with three, before the Wildcats scored the last possession of the quarter to make it 24-23.
 
The Wildcats claimed the second quarter, shooting 9-for-17 from the field. They recorded a 3-for-3 mark from beyond the three-point line. LCU out scored LSUA 23-19 to take a 46-43 lead into half time.
 
The Generals retook the lead 50-49 with 7:42 left in the third quarter on a pair of free throws from Martin-Hartwick. She opened a 6-0 run for the Generals with points from Martin-Hartwick, Peracchi, and Gray. LSUA took a 67-59 lead into the final stanza.
 
Louisiana Christian cut the Generals' lead to just three, 72-69, in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Wildcats slashed it down to just a two-point deficit, 75-73, with 3:57 left in regulation.
 
A three from Reese Stephens opened a quick 7-2 run for the Generals and pushed their advantage to 82-75. After a layup from LCU, free throws from Martin-Hartwick and a bucket from Alexis Dyer gave LSUA their first double-digit lead of the game with less than a minute left in regulation.
 
LSUA is back in action on Thursday, January 30, when the Generals host Paul Quinn University for Academic Night at the Fort. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM.