Box Score BOXSCORE
NORMAL—The A&M men’s basketball team fought back from being 15 down, but couldn’t close out falling to the Mississippi Valley State University Devils, 63-60 Saturday evening. The Devils victory avenges their 72-60 early season loss.
The Bulldogs (9-10, 6-4 SWAC) were led by Casey Cantey who scored 13 points (4-11) and four rebounds in thirty minutes of action. Jeremy Crutcher scored 11 points (3-8) and dished out a season high of six assists. Senior Desmond Jackson recorded 10 points (4-11), five rebounds, and four steals while freshman DeMarquelle Tabb scored 10 points ( 4-8) and finished with three of a kind in rebounds, blocks, and steals.
The Bulldogs out-scored the Devils bench 37-3 and took advantage of the 18 Valley turnovers resulting into a 22-11 tilt.
MVSU led by as many as 15, 51-36, with 12:30 left, but a 20-0 run put the Bulldogs in front, 56-51, with 3:22 remaining. Valley then put a run together out-scoring the Maroon & White 12-4 in the final minutes of the game earning their seventh victory in the last eight contest.
Senior Bo Amusa scored eight points and pulled in nine rebounds with five of those being offensive. A&M finished 20 of 56 from the field (35.7 percent) while Valley went 25 of 57 (43.9%).
This was the 12th contest during the 2010-11 season when the Bulldogs have scored below 40 percent. They are 3-8 on the year, with wins over Tuskegee, Alcorn State and Prairie View.
The Bulldogs will welcome the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday, February 7, in the Think Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in honor of all the breast cancer survivors.
The Bulldogs have not defeated UAPB in the last 12 tries. If head coach Vann Pettaway wins on Monday it will be his 450th victory at the helm of the Bulldog basketball program.
