ALEXANDRIA, LA – The Louisiana State University of Alexandria women's basketball team recorded an 81-74 win over North American University.
 
"Very proud of our defensive effort," LSUA Head Coach Billy Perkins said. "Very proud of following the game plan, covering who we were supposed to cover, and making adjustments after halftime.
 
Five Generals (8-10, 7-6 RRAC) finished with 10 or more points. Justice Young made an immediate impact in her return to the lineup, recording a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Reese Stephens (14), Kelly Norris (13), Blair Smith (13), and Sydney Person (11) also finished in double digits. The Generals recorded 24 assists, including six from both Stephens and Addison Walker.
 
Jerkayla Dickey led the Stallions (9-6, 7-6 RRAC) with 26 points. She finished 5-for-13 from the floor, 3-for-4 from long range, and 13-for-16 at the free throw line. Savannah Velazquez recorded 13 points.
 
The Stallions took a six-point lead, their largest of the game, with 3:26 left in the opening period on a three from Dickey. A layup from Smith, followed by a three from Norris, and then a layup from Courtlynn Rideau put the Generals ahead 17-16. Dickey scored the quarter's final basket to send NAU into the second with an 18-17 advantage.
 
The second quarter mimicked the first, as neither team found a way to take control. The Generals went ahead by five midways through the period, 25-24, on a three from Walker but North American retook the lead on a three from Aliyah Solis with just under two minutes left in the quarter.
 
A three from Stephens with 39 seconds left cut the Generals' deficit to one headed into the locker room, 35-34.
 
LSUA entered the third quarter trailing by one and out scored NAU 26-9 in the penultimate period. North American shot just 18.8-percent from the floor in the third and recorded seven turnovers. The Generals, meanwhile, were led by nine points from Young. She went 4-for-5 in the third from the floor. The Generals knocked down 50-percent of their shots and were a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
 
The Generals held North American off the board in the third for the first four minutes for a 9-0 run in favor of the Purple and Gold to take a 43-35 lead.
 
A layup from Smith two minutes later gave LSUA the first double-digit lead of the game, 47-37.
 
In the final 3:05 of the third, LSUA out scored NAU 13-6 to take a 60-44 lead into the final period.
 
The Generals scored the first six points of the fourth, extending their largest lead of the game, 65-44. The Stallions managed to cut the gap into single digits, chipping away over the course of the fourth, but the Generals held for the 81-74 win.
 
LSUA is back at home on Saturday, January 24, to face Xavier University (La.) at 1:00 PM.