LORMAN, Miss. – Alabama A&M men's basketball fell to Alcorn State, 89-76, inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex on Saturday afternoon in men's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action.
 
Dailin Smith (Colorado Springs, Co.) opened the ball game with consecutive scores to give the Bulldogs (6-10, 2-1 SWAC) an early 4-0 lead. Alcorn State put their first points on the board with a three at the 17:37 mark, however A&M led 9-8 at the first media timeout.
 
The Braves took their first lead of the game at 10-9 on the next possession after a pair of free throws, yet found the score tied once again at 12-12 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the half. From there, Alcorn State slowly gained momentum, going up seven minutes later, however, the Bulldogs responded once again, getting within a point at 26-25 with at the 6:12 mark.
 
Alcorn State made another push going forward, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-2 over the next five minutes of play to go up 42-27 with just under two minutes to play. Alabama A&M found the basket to end the scoreless stretch with a pair of free throws from Cameron Tucker (Birmingham, Ala.), but trailed at the half 45-31.
 
The Braves came out strong after the break, gaining a 51-31 lead just two minutes into the half, and stretched it to a game-high 28 points at 61-33 with 15:37 to play.
 
The Bulldogs begin to cut into the lead later in the half, going on an 17-4 run to put the score at 65-50 with just over ten minutes to play. From there, Alcorn State rebounded, not allowing the game to get close until A&M cut the lead to just nine at 79-70 with three minutes remaining, however could not reduce it less than that as Alcorn State held on for the win.
 
Smith led four Bulldog scorers in double figures with 15 points and three assists, while Jayland Randall (Detroit, Mich.) added a career-high 12 points in 11 minutes of play. Omari Peek (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Messiah Thompson (Atlanta, Ga.) rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points and ten points respectively.
 
A&M finished the game shooting 45.2 (28-for-62) percent from the field, 22.2 (4-for-18) percent from deep, and 64 (16-for-25) percent from the free throw line. They outscored Alcorn State in bench points (24-24) and points in the paint (44-36), but fell short in fast break points (7-15), points off turnovers (16-20), and second chance points (7-­14).
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will remain on the road for their next contest as they face Jackson State on Monday, January 9. Tip-off for the conclusion of the doubleheader has been set for 7:30 p.m. inside of the Lee E. Williams Athletic & Assembly Center.