NORMAL – Junior Casey Cantey and senior Cornelius Hester combined for 30 points as they led Alabama A&M to a 70-63 win over Grambling State University in the Bulldog’s first SWAC contest.

Alabama A&M (4-6, 1-0 SWAC) also got 10 points from freshman guard Jeremy Crutcher with eight of those coming from the free-throw line. Freshman forward and Southwestern Athletic Conference offensive rebounds leader Demarquelle Tabb pulled in seven rebounds, scored nine points and totaled five blocks versus the Tigers.

With the first points of the game not being scored until the 16:59 mark, the Maroon & White took their final lead of the contest with a Jerome Hunter dunk off the assist by Hester with 15:34 on the clock. They would extend their lead to 14 points by the end of the first half to go in with a 38-24 lead.

The second half saw the Bulldogs extend their margin over Grambling State to the largest of the game at 20 points on two separate occasions. But as time wound down the Tigers would show their fight with a 13-2 run that lasted three minutes. Down seven for their closets margin in the final half GSU would send A&M to the charity stripe 25 times. The Bulldogs would make Grambling regret that decision as they finished 16 of 25 for 64 percent.

A&M finished 22 of 44 from the field and 26 of 38 from the free-throw line (68.4 percent), but missed all nine attempts from 3-point range and overcame 22 turnovers to pull off the victory.

Cantey’s15 points moves him within seven for his 1000^th career score in the Maroon & White. 

The second of four games in seven days for A&M will see the Tigers of Jackson State University visit “The Hill” for a 7:30 contest on Thursday, January 6 in Elmore Gymnasium.