Box Score / Four players recorded double figures as the Alabama A&M men’s basketball team edged the Ambassadors of Oakwood University 86-81 at Elmore Gym on Monday night. Maurice Kemp scored a team-high 19 points in 16 minutes of action off the bench for the Bulldogs. Marcus Lee and Cornelius Hester had 14 points apiece, while Bo Amusa finished with 12. Amusa also pulled down nine off the glass. Casey Cantey chipped in with nine points. A&M is back in action on Nov. 21 when it hosts Martin Methodist for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

The Bulldogs led 80-70 with three minutes left in regulation. The Ambassadors scored 10 unanswered to tie it at 80-80 with :55 showing on the clock. A pair at the stripe by Amusa put A&M up by two, but a free throw by Landon Bertram brought it to within one, 82-81 with 20 seconds left. Four straight points by the Bulldogs in the remaining seconds sealed the win for A&M. With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to 1-1 on the season.

For the game, the Ambassadors were led by Bertram’s game-high 24 points and 17 rebounds. Ronald Bushner scored with 17. Brandon Broome and Kareem Telesford finished with 12.

A&M held a 48-36 advantage in the paint. Both teams were even on the boards with 49.

In the first half, A&M rattled off five straight in the first minute of play off a pair at the stripe and a trey by Lee. A basket by Bushner at the 19:04 mark put the Ambassadors on the scoreboard. Oakwood cut it to one, 11-10, at 15:28, but the Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run over a two-plus span to take a 23-12 advantage – its largest of the game – with just over 13 minutes remaining in the half. The Ambassadors sliced into the deficit and brought themselves to within four, 37-33, at the six minute mark. The Bulldogs used four unanswered points to pushed the spread to eight, however. Oakwood responded with an 8-4 run to end the half, but A&M went into the lockerroom with a 45-41 margin.

Hester led all scorers at the half with 14 points off the bench. Kemp and Lee scored 11 and 10, respectively.  A&M went 16-for-37 (43.2 percent) and held Oakwood to a 38.9 shooting clip.

The Bulldogs are back in action on next Monday Nov. 21 at home. The game is slated for 7:30 p.m.