HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A balanced scoring attack helped Alabama A&M (3-0, 1-0 SWAC) survive a tough battle with rival Alabama State (1-4, 1-4 SWAC), 70-63, as four Bulldogs reached double figure scoring in a NCAA Division I men's basketball game on Saturday, January 16. 
 
Sophomore guard Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) led the way for the Bulldogs with a team-high 13 points, along with grabbing five rebounds and three steals, while sophomore center EJ Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks of his own. The two were joined in the double figure scoring category by freshmen guards Dailin Smith (Colorado Springs, Co.) with 11 points and seven rebounds and Anjay Cortez (Charlotte, N.C) who scored 11 points and grabbed four boards. 
 
Right at tip, the Bulldogs started off with strong play, opening the game by scoring the first 10 points, keyed by a three from Smith on the second possession of the game. After finding themselves trailing 10-0 three minutes into the contest, ASU got on the board at the 15:48 mark and followed with a score on the next possession with a five-point run by EJ Clark to bring the score to 10-5 with 15 minutes to go in the half. 
 
On the next Bulldog's possession, Smith followed his own miss and scored on an offensive rebound and put back to push the lead back to seven points before a pair of free throws from The Hornet's Jordan O'Neal brought the lead back to five, 12-7. 
 
After trading scores over the next few possessions, Alabama State pulled within two points at 16-14 following a pair of free throws from Brandon Battle and another make from Kenny Strawbridge at the 8:28 mark of the first half. 
 
Over the next several possessions, the Bulldogs notched inside scores from both Cortez and Hicks to go up 20-14, however, the teams traded baskets over the next few possessions and the Bulldogs would come away with a 24-19 lead with just over six minutes left in the half. 
 
With just over three minutes remaining in the first half, A&M's Hicks made another layup to put the Bulldogs up 26-21 and the teams each scored to close out the half, making it a 28-24 ball game going into halftime. 
 
Coming out of the locker rooms for the second half, the Bulldogs scored the first four points of the half on inside scores from sophomore forward Jalen Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Williams to go up 32-24 with 18:42 to play in the game. Alabama State's Brandon Battle responded with a basket to reduce the lead to six, however Smith hit his second three of the game to put the Bulldogs up 35-26 with just over 17 minutes to go. 
 
Alabama A&M stretched the lead to double figures with a layup by Williams on the next possession, finding themselves up 37-26, and stretched it to 12 minutes later on a three from Cortez. 
 
After a response from the Hornets on an inside score by O'Neal, Smith hit yet another three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 43-30 with just under 14 minutes to play.  
 
Alabama State then went on a 6-1 run over the next three minutes, finding themselves down just 44-36 with 11:25 to go in the half, and kept it close to find themselves down eight at 48-40 midway through the frame.  
 
The Hornets continued to claw away at the lead, allowing just one basket over the next few possessions, and gained scores from both Strawbridge and Clark to bring the deficit back to just five points at 50-45 heading into the under eight media timeout. 
 
When play resumed, sophomore guard Cameron Tucker (Birmingham, Ala.) sank two free throws before the Hornets responded with A put back by Strawbridge to keep the difference between the teams at five.  
 
With just over seven minutes to go, the Bulldogs made five straight free throws, one from Jalen Johnson, and two each from Hicks and freshman guard Jevon Tatum (Snellville, Ga.), stretching the lead to 56-47, before a three-point play on the next possession by ASU's Battle MADE the score 56-50. 
 
Minutes later, after a stop by the Bulldogs, Cortez caught a pass from Tatum and finished off a fast break with an emphatic alley-oop dunk, putting Alabama A&M up 60-51 with 5:36 to play. 
 
The Hornets, however, responded with an inside score of their own and continued to fight as Strawbridge made three straight free throws to pull within one, 60-59, with three minutes remaining. The Bulldogs responded with Tucker drawing a foul and making two free throws of his own on the next possession, and went back up three.  
 
After a few scoreless minutes, Johnson drew a foul for A&M and made a pair of clutch free throws with just over a minute left to go up 64-59. At that point, Strawbridge responded for the Hornets once more with a basket to pull the game back within three. 
 
Coming out of a timeout, the Bulldogs made two defensive stops and sank a total of four free throws between guards Tatum and Tucker to extend the lead to 68-61 with 22 seconds remaining and salted away the 70-63 lead over the rival Hornets. 
 
Strawbridge posted 16 points and nine rebounds and was joined in double-figures by Brandon Battle, who posted a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds on the day.  
 
The Bulldogs are back in action next weekend as they take on Southern on Saturday, January 23 and Alcorn State on Monday, January 25 at Elmore Gymnasium. Tip-off times are yet to be determined.