FLORENCE, Ala. –Alabama A&M (1-5, 0-0 SWAC) dropped a 56-45 decision at North Alabama (6-3, 0-0 ASUN) in an NCAA Division I men's basketball game on Wednesday, December 8.
 
Junior guard Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) led the Bulldogs with 16 points and three rebounds while junior forward JalenJohnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) had 11 points and seven boards. Freshman guard Eric Lee (Tampa, Fla.) chipped in with five points and three rebounds while senior guard Brandon Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) had five points and four boards .
 
The Lions would take control with a 7-2 lead within the first six minutes of play before the Bulldogs would stay afloat with a 13-12 run. In that stretch, Hicks notched ten points that included two treys to close the gap to 19-15 with 4:15 left on the clock.
 
 From there North Alabama would unleash an 8-4 burst with all eight points being scored by Daniel Ortiz to head to the break leading 27-19.

The Bulldogs would start the second half with a 13-9 rally over the first eleven minutes with Hicks and Lee scoring four and three points, respectively, to close the gap to 36-32.
 
The Lions would then slowly expand their margin over the remainder of the frame, scoring 20 of the next 33 points, a stretch that included five points each from Will Soucie and Omar Figueroa in the last 9:36 minutes before closing out the 56-45 victory.
 
Ortiz would lead UNA with 12 points and three rebounds and Damian Forrest notched eight points and eight boards along with three assists. Jamari Blackmon added seven points, five rebounds and four assists while C.J. Brim finished with eight points and a pair of assists to round out the top performers.
 
Alabama A&M returns to action on Saturday, December 11 as they take the short drive to Samford at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama. That game is set for 6 p.m.