LORMAN &045; It seemed like a novel idea at the time and perhaps the only thing Alcorn head coach Shirley Walker has yet to do to fix a nagging problem.

Hire a free-throw shooting coach.

Like a toothache in the back of your mouth where the pain comes and goes, free throws shooting has been that one inconsistency this season for the Lady Braves. On Monday at Alabama State, the Lady Braves missed 12 and lost by four.

Fortunately they were solid in other phases of the game Saturday at Alabama A&M in that 65-58 win. The Lady Braves went to the line 43 times and made just 22.

They’ll try to get back on track Saturday in a huge contest against Southern University.

&uot;It’s like a mosquito or a fly right around my ear,&uot; Walker said. &uot;That’s bothering me. Personally, I think it’s all mental. When some players go to the free-throw line, I’m pretty well confident. But we’re all missing them. We’re going to the line, but we’re just not doing it, and it’s bothering me. I tell them to turn the lights off in the gym &045; whatever strategy you can use.&uot;

The Lady Braves (5-2, 10-6) have had their share of struggles from the line this season and at times last season. No one wants to remember the double-overtime loss to Grambling State in the tournament last year, 81-78, despite coming up empty on 13 free throws.

That was the case in Montgomery Monday. The Lady Braves drew the foul, went to the line and gave themselves a chance to win a very important game. Instead, they hit 27 of 39 shots from the line and lost, 71-67.

&uot;Coach said we had many opportunities of winning the ball game, which we did,&uot; said point guard Shikhia Sims, the team’s best free-throw shooter at 77 percent. &uot;Some missed shots and missed opportunities to score. We really didn’t execute well against Alabama State.&uot;

Yet it’s a mid-season swoon that Walker is really concerned about with her club. Not that Alabama State was a pushover, but the Lady Braves dropped that game at home against Valley and had their chances of beating Alabama State on the road to really take control of first place in the conference.

Another big game lies ahead Saturday, and the team needs a win against the Lady Jaguars.

&uot;When we played Alabama State, I knew it was going to be a dogfight from the tip-off,&uot; Walker said. &uot;We played well enough to win, but we have situations with seniors that shouldn’t be. I can’t hide that. When we have a layup, we’ll take a jump shot and miss it. There are some little mental things that we don’t do. We didn’t do what we needed to do to win.&uot;

The Lady Braves brought Tnonealyer Powers off the bench in both games as she tries to get back in the flow following a knee injury suffered in the second conference game. Powers has yet to start since the injury, but she scored eight points off the bench against Alabama State.

Now the problem is with forward LaToya Johnson, who did not practice Wednesday with a knee injury. The senior from Hazlehurst is the team’s leading scorer at over 12 points a game and will get the nagging injury checked out today.

&uot;Powers came in and I think had a little rust on her coming off the bench from her knee injury,&uot; Walker said. &uot;She came out the second half and was playing better and looked like she’s getting back to her old self. She seems to be OK, and we hope it’ll be much better this coming Saturday night.&uot;

The Lady Jags (5-3, 8-9) may be in a similar situation with losses they’d love to have back. Southern lost at Grambling earlier this month and dropped both on the Alabama swing over the weekend, including a 61-53 loss to Alabama A&M.;

Rolanda Monroe leads the conference in scoring at almost 20 a game. The Lady Jaguars have freshman Krystal Huggins, the 6-4 niece of Doug Williams who is playing well in her freshman campaign at Southern.

&uot;After this game Saturday night, we’ll get to what I call the third season,&uot; Walker said. &uot;I know Southern is going to come in here tough. I was sitting up a couple of hours ago and thinking it looks like every team in this conference looks like they get that extra kick to play against us. They really do.&uot;

The Lady Braves, the conference’s leader in scoring, is preparing for another team to throw a zone at them. Teams have packed it in to take away the inside game since Alcorn is last in the conference in 3-pointers made and attempted.

&uot;If I do my job, it opens up the offense,&uot; Sims said. &uot;They’re pretty big. We’ve got the depth, too. It’s going to be a pretty good game.&uot;