HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - An offensive rebound and put back by sophomore forward Jalen Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) with 20 seconds remaining gave Alabama A&M (6-2, 4-2 SWAC) a 56-55 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-16, 2-8 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I men's basketball game on Monday, February 8.
 
Coming out of a timeout trailing 55-54 with 31 seconds to play Johnson missed a free throw line jumper, yet grabbed a loose ball rebound and stuck it in to put the Bulldogs up 56-55 with 22.3 seconds remaining, forcing a Golden Lion timeout. Out of the break, A&M made two more defensive stops to pull out the 56-55 win.
 
Johnson led the Bulldogs with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field along with grabbing seven rebounds, while freshman guard Jevon Tatum (Snellville, Ga.) scored in double figures for his second straight game, adding 10 points and eight rebounds on the night.
 
The visiting Golden Lions started out hot, scoring the first eight points and holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the first four minutes of the game, before senior forward Brandon Houston (Birmingham, Ala.) opened the scoring for A&M with a three at the 15:38 mark in the first.
 
After a free throw from Arkansas Pine-Bluff's Terrance Banyard, sophomore guard Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) put in a floater to make the score 9-5 before five unanswered points put the Golden Lions up 14-5 heading into the under 12-minute media timeout.
 
With 10:38 to play in the opening frame, Tatum scored his first basket of the night followed by a layup from Johnson to bring the Bulldogs within five; however, UAPB responded on their next possession and found themselves up 18-11 with just over nine minutes remaining in the half.
 
With just over four minutes to play in the frame the Golden Lions extended their lead to double figures, 22-12, on an inside score from Dequan Morris, before the Bulldogs climbed within six at the 3:08 mark behind scores from junior guard Brandon Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) and Tatum.
 
After a free throw from UAPB's Morris, Tatum scored consecutive baskets for A&M, before a free throw from Hicks with 40 seconds left cut the Bulldog deficit down to 25-21 heading into the locker room.
 
Coming out of the break, the two teams traded a pair of free throws to open the first minute of the second, and also traded back-to-back dunks, one from Banyard of UAPB and one from Johnson of A&M with 18 minutes to play to make the score 29-25.

From there, Arkansas-Pine Bluff stretched their lead back out to nine after a three from Markedric Bell, before Johnson scored inside for A&M to reach double figures and bring the score to 34-27 with 14:42 remaining.
 
On the next Bulldog trip, Hicks pulled the difference to four as he sank his first triple of the game, followed by a layup from sophomore guard Cameron Tucker (Birmingham, Ala.) to reduce the deficit to two, 34-32.

The Golden Lions responded again, scoring inside at the 13:28 mark and going on a 6-2 run over the next two minutes to go up 40-34 heading into the under 12 media timeout.
 
With eight minutes to play, freshman guard Dailin Smith (Colorado Springs, Co.) sank a three to spark a five-point run for the Bulldogs pulling them within four, 44-40, a deficit they would reach once more with seven minutes to go after a pair of free throws from Tatum to put the score at 46-42.
 
A&M reduced the lead to one score twice over the next two minutes behind consecutive inside scores from Johnson, and tied the game for the first time at 48-48 with 4:39 to play following a pair of free throws from Powell.
 
With just under four to go, Johnson scored inside again to take the first Bulldog lead of the game, however the Golden Lions responded to tie before Smith made his second field goal of the game, putting A&M up 52-50 at the 2:29.
 
After finding the score tied for the final time at 52-52, Johnson scored his 20th point of the night with 1:14 to go, however UAPB's Shaun Doss responded on the next possession with a three to give the Golden Lions a one-point lead and forcing a Bulldog timeout with 40 seconds left.
 
Doss and Morris both led Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 11 points and four rebounds and 11 points and eight rebounds, respectively. Banyard added 10 points with four rebounds, while Bell recorded a near double-double with nine points eight rebounds on the night.
 
The Bulldogs will now head to Montgomery to face rival Alabama State on Saturday, February 13.