Hayes earns first Conference Win

Box Score

NORMAL – Head coach Willie Hayes finally earned his first Division I and Southwestern Athletic Conference win with a stunning 65-62 victory over the Golden Lions of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday evening.

“That first conference win is behind us now,” said coach Hayes. “The guys came out and played hard and did a good job down the stretch when UAPB made a run in the second half.”

The Golden Lions opened the game with a 2-0 lead but A&M took their final lead at the 16:48 mark on a Casey Cantey three-pointer.
From there the Bulldogs controlled the tempo and the contest with steady play and hustle up and down the court.

At one time the Maroon & White enjoyed a 15 point lead 25-10 at the 5:57 mark in the first half and took a 34-23 lead at half-time their first since November 19, 2011.

UAPB did not lay down coming out shooting 54 percent from the field (12-22), 62% form the three-point line (5-8) and 67 percent from the charity stripe on 10 of 15 shooting.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff out-scored A&M 24-20 in points in the paint and 15-7 in second chance points.
The Bulldogs managed to outdo UAPB in points off turnovers 17-16 and bench points 28-19, but it was the season high 54% shooting in the first half that guaranteed their first win in 2012.

Senior guard Casey Cantey posted his tenth contest with double digit points scoring 20 to lead all Bulldogs. Cantey also pulled in six rebounds. Junior transfer Green Hill scored 13 points on 4 of 4 shooting from the field. Sophomore forward Demarquelle Tabb rounded out the scorers with eight points, eight boards and three blocks.

A&M will go after their second straight victory when they host the Devils of Mississippi Valley State University on Monday, January 9, at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling 256-372-4059 or by visiting A&M All About Tickets.

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