HUNTSVILLE – The Alabama A&M men's basketball program pulled out a hard-fought win over Mississippi Valley State, 75-68, in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action on Wednesday night inside the Event Center.

The Bulldogs (6-9, 2-0 SWAC) trailed for over 30 minutes of play before a huge second half sparked a comeback win.
 
After trailing 9-2 just over three minutes into the contest, EJ Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio) ended the scoring drought for A&M with a dunk just before the first media timeout. Mississippi Valley State remained hot coming out of the break, gaining a double-digit lead at 18-8 with 10:33 remaining in the half.
 
From there on, the Bulldogs responded and began to cut into the deficit, reducing the lead to just five points at the next media timeout after a score inside from Olisa Blaise Akonobi (Abuja, Nigeria). After going back-and-forth for the next few possessions, Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) hit one of his seven threes to put A&M within two at 29-27 with just over four minutes to play.
 
Despite the run, the Delta Devils maintained control for the remainder of the half, even extending their lead to seven once again at the 2:28 mark, and A&M trailed 40-34 heading into the locker rooms for the half.
 
Not much changed in the contest to start the second half, as MVSU continued to lead the ball game, however neither team could gain a significant advantage through the first six minutes. Soon after, Hicks hit a pair of three-pointers to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 48-46 with 13 minutes to play.
 
Shortly after, the Delta Devils retook the lead, until another three from Hicks put the Bulldogs up once again at 62-60 at the 7:25 mark. The two teams traded scores over the next two possessions before the tenth three from A&M, this time from Lorenzo Downey (Nova Scotia, Canada) gave the Bulldogs the last lead of the contest as they closed the game with a final push for the 75-68 win.
 
A&M came out favorable in a pair of major statistical categories in the win, including 28 points off 15 MVSU turnovers, along with outscoring the opposing bench 21-2 in the contest. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs trailed in points in the paint (26-22) and fast break points (12-4) and tied in second chance points with ten each.

Hicks led the way for the Bulldogs with a game-high 23 points, his fourth 20-point outing of the season. Meanwhile, Akonobi finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, followed by Downey who added nine points and six rebounds.

Rayquan Brown led the way for the Delta Devils with a team-high 22 points, followed by Alvin Stredic with 16 along with Tyronn Mosley and Terry Collins with 13 and 12 points respectively.
 
The Bulldogs finished the game with shooting splits of 44.4 (26-for-51) percent from the field, 50 (10-for-20) percent from long range, and 76.5 (13-for-17) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Mississippi Valley finished with splits of 42.6 (23-for-54) percent from the field, 58.3 (7-for-12) from three, and 75 (15-for-20) percent from the free throw line.
 
Up Next
A&M will return to action with a road matchup on Saturday, January 7, for their third straight SWAC contest as they take on Alcorn State. Game time for the second leg of the doubleheader inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex is set for 4 p.m.
 
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