NATCHEZ &045; There’s no Alcorn State game tonight, and for the Lady Braves, that news is more than welcome.

It means they have a chance to rest some tired legs, heal from some injuries and get back to the basics before finishing out their season.

&uot;I told our players after (Saturday), we’re starting our third season,&uot; Alcorn head coach Shirley Walker said. &uot;The first one was non-conference, then getting through January, now we have a break and then we have to finish strong.&uot;

Thus far, the Lady Braves have acquitted themselves pretty well in the first two seasons Walker described.

After gutting out a 64-54 win over Southern Saturday, Alcorn (11-6. 7-2) is sitting atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings. Now the team will have a chance to rest and recharge before jumping into the second half of the SWAC schedule.

And they can use that time. Forward Tnonealyer Powers is still nursing a sore knee, though she was back in the starting lineup Saturday and played 38 minutes in the game, looking better than she had since before the injury.

Shooting guard LaToya Johnson will also use the week to rest and rehab a sore ankle that’s been bothering her, though it might have been tough to tell given her 14-point effort Saturday.

&uot;I hurt my ankle a while ago and then hurt it again just now,&uot; Johnson said.

At the end of the game, it almost looked like the Lady Braves might lose another player. Going up for a fast-break layup with 7.5 seconds remaining in the game, Natasha Dennis missed the layup, then hit the floor awkwardly and went down in a sprawl grabbing at her leg.

Don’t worry, though, Dennis merely had a cramp in her calf muscle and was treated after the game. Dennis was vital in the Lady Braves’ win, scoring 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds and getting five blocks.

Shikhia Sims played some of her best ball of the season despite missing most of the first half after picking up two early fouls.

&uot;She did (play well), and I was glad. She knew she had let us down,&uot; Walker said. &uot;She played hard, which is something she doesn’t always do. She put out that extra energy and really made a difference.&uot;

The Lady Braves will need Sims to keep making big contributions.

One area Alcorn has gotten big contributions from is its young players.

Freshmen Latoya Wily and Tanika Nunez have played more and more as the season has progressed, and each played double-digit minutes Saturday. Sophomore Tiffaney Smith also helped fill in at point guard while Sims was out.