TROY, Ala. –Alabama A&M (1-7, 0-0 SWAC) dropped a 66-57 decision at Troy (7-4, 0-0 SBC) in an NCAA Division I men's basketball game on Tuesday, December 14.
 
Junior forward Jalen Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the Bulldogs with 15 points, four boards and four steals while junior guard Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) had 14 points, two rebounds and two steals. Junior center EJ Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipped in with eight points and six boards while freshman guard Eric Lee (Tampa, Fla.) had six points and seven rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs would take control with an 8-2 lead that included four points each from Johnson and Lee within the first three minutes of play before the Trojans would tie the game at 10-10 with an 8-2 run.
 
AAMU would unleash an 11-6 rally with five points from Hicks over the next 10 minutes to lead 21-16 before Troy had a mini 5-0 burst to once again even the score at 21-21. Over the final 6:55, the teams would battle through four lead changes and a pair of ties, including the 28-28 deadlocked they would take to the break.

The Trojans would start the second half with a 22-11 rally over the first nine minutes with Desmond Williams scoring nine points that included back-to-back treys to widen the gap to 50-39. The Bulldogs would then respond with a 7-2 burst that consisted of five points from Hicks to close the gap to 52-46 with 8:14 left on the clock
 
Troy would then slowly expand their margin over the remainder of the frame, scoring 14 of the next 25 points, a stretch that included five points from Khalyl Waters in the last four minutes before closing out the 66-57 victory.
 
Desmond Williams would lead the Trojans with 19 points, three rebounds and three steals and Waters notched 12 points and four boards. Zay Williams added eight points, seven rebounds and two assists while Nick Stampley finished with nine points, two boards and a pair of assists to round out the top performers.
 
Alabama A&M returns to action on Saturday, December 18 as they take on Indiana State at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. That game is set for 1 p.m.