CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — In a game defined more by grit than grace, the West Georgia Wolves escaped with a narrow 64 to 61 victory over the Alabama State Lady Hornets in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Thursday night at The Coliseum.

Despite a subpar shooting performance from the field, West Georgia leveraged a decisive advantage at the free-throw line to secure the win in front of an announced crowd of 414. The Wolves attempted 35 free throws, making 23, while Alabama State managed only 13 attempts, converting six.

The contest was a defensive struggle from the outset. Alabama State opened the game with a flurry, building an early lead and finishing the first quarter with a 17 to 14 advantage. The Lady Hornets’ defense was particularly disruptive in the opening period, forcing several West Georgia turnovers and converting them into points.

However, the Wolves began to chip away in the second quarter, outscoring Alabama State 16 to 10 to take a 30 to 27 lead into halftime. The game remained a back-and-forth affair throughout the second half, with neither team able to establish a comfortable cushion. West Georgia maintained a slim 45 to 42 lead heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter saw both teams score 19 points, with the outcome in doubt until the final possession. Alabama State had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but a three-point attempt by Charlese McClendon missed the mark, allowing West Georgia to run out the clock.

The offensive inefficiency was stark for both squads. West Georgia shot just 18 of 64 from the floor, a rate of 28.1 percent, and was only 5 of 24 from beyond the arc. Alabama State was marginally better from the field at 26 of 71, or 36.6 percent, but struggled profoundly from long range, hitting just 3 of 16 three-point attempts.

West Georgia was led by the scoring of Destiny Jones, a 5-foot-9 guard from Louisville, Kentucky, who poured in 18 points in 24 minutes of action. Asia Donald, a 5-foot-9 guard from Hobart, Indiana, added 16 points, while Jasmine Jones, a 5-foot-11 forward from Carrollton, Georgia, contributed 13 points and two blocks.

For Alabama State, Taylor Smith directed the offense and finished with 12 points and three assists in 31 minutes. Kaitlyn Bryant, a 6-foot forward from Opelika, Alabama, added 11 points. Reserve Caylee Simpson provided a spark off the bench with eight points in just nine minutes.

The Lady Hornets dominated the interior, outscoring West Georgia 38 to 26 in the paint and grabbing 18 offensive rebounds to the Wolves’ 13. Alabama State also recorded more assists, steals, and blocks, but their 17 turnovers and inability to capitalize on free throws ultimately proved costly.

With the loss, Alabama State falls to 1-3 on the young season. The Lady Hornets will look to rebound when they travel to face Vanderbilt on Nov. 21.

West Georgia improves to 2-1 and will hit the road for their next contest at Georgia Tech on Nov. 19. The Wolves’ victory came despite pregame analytics from Interstat’s ELO system giving them a 95.3 percent probability to win, a forecast that nearly proved inaccurate in the tightly contested matchup.