Preview: Alabama State Lady Hornets at Florida A&M Lady Rattlers TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Alabama State Lady Hornets will look to continue their push for a winning season when they visit the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers in a Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s basketball matchup Saturday at the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center. Alabama State (13-12, 9-3 SWAC) enters on a positive note, having edged Bethune-Cookman 61-60 on Thursday. The Lady Hornets have won seven of their last nine conference games to climb above .500 overall. A key catalyst has been guard Caylee Simpson, who is averaging 12.8 points over her last five contests. She scored 14 points in the recent win over Bethune-Cookman and had 10 points in the Jan. 29 meeting with Florida A&M, a 75-64 home victory for the Lady Hornets. Florida A&M (7-18, 4-8) seeks to halt a two-game skid and avenge that late-January loss. The Lady Rattlers are coming off a difficult 57-37 home loss to Alabama A&M on Thursday, where offensive struggles were prevalent. Guard Tahnyjia Purifoy remains a focal point for the Lady Rattlers. She scored a team-high 18 points in the first matchup against Alabama State this season and is averaging 13.3 points over her last six games. The Lady Rattlers have shown flashes at home, including convincing SWAC wins over Texas Southern and Prairie View earlier this month. They will need similar efficiency to counter an Alabama State team that has found a rhythm in conference play. Saturday’s contest is the second of two regular-season meetings. A win would give Alabama State a season sweep and solidify its standing in the SWAC table, while Florida A&M aims to split the series and improve its postseason positioning. Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee.