MOBILE, Ala. | Chad Moodie had a career high with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team dropped an 83-67 decision to South Alabama on Thursday night at the Mitchell Center.
Alabama (1-11) suffered through scoring droughts of four minutes in the first half and six minutes in the second half as South Alabama (7-5) pulled away for the victory.
Moodie, who scored five points in the first half, finished with 13 points, on 5-of-6 shooting, with 11 rebounds, two blocked shots and one assist to lead Alabama A&M.
Jayland Randall added 12 points, four boards and two steals, while
Dylan Mclean chipped in 10 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, with two rebounds.
South Alabama had five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Tyrell Jones, who poured in 18 points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal. Isiah Gaiter and Marcus Millender each added 13 points. Gaiter tallied six boards, two assists, one block and one steal, while Millender chipped in three boards, one assist and one steal. Samuel Tabe also recorded 13 points and grabbed 10 boards and Elijah Ormiston registered 10 points, seven boards, one assist and one steal.
Gallery: (12-21-2023) Alabama A&M at South Alabama
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M jumped out to an 11-7 advantage after a
Dailin Smith layup with 16:33 remaining in the opening half and the Bulldogs stretched the margin to 16-11 after an
Eric Lee bucket with 14:30 left.
The Bulldogs went more than four minutes without a bucket as South Alabama used a 15-2 run over a six-minute stretch as the Jaguars grabbed a 26-18 lead after a layup by Ethan Kizer with 8:47 remaining.
South Alabama extended the lead to 30-21 after a fastbreak bucket by Ormiston with just under seven minutes to play in the half.
Alabama A&M trimmed the margin to 34-27 after a layup by Lee with 4:26 remaining, but three straight baskets by Thomas Howell quickly extended the margin to 40-27 with just under three minutes left.
The Bulldogs closed the first half on an 11-2 run, trimming the double-digit deficit to just four points, 42-38, at the break.
AAMU got a free throw by Moodie to open the second half, closing the gap to 42-39, but USA answered by using a 14-1 run as the Bulldogs went more than six minutes without a field goal as the Jaguars pushed the lead to 56-43 after a Tabe second-chance layup with just over 13 minutes to play.
South Alabama stretched its lead to 69-49 after eight straight points by Jones with 9:40 remaining.
Alabama A&M cut the deficit to 76-63 after two free throws by Smith with just over four minutes to play, but that would be as close as the Bulldogs would get.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 39.7 percent (25-of-63) from the floor and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the free-throw line
- AAMU pulled down 40 rebounds, including 30 off the defensive glass
- Chad Moodie registered a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with two blocked shots and one assist
- Jayland Randall added 12 points, four boards and two steals
- Dylan Mclean chipped in 10 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, with two rebounds
- The Bulldogs finished with 50 bench points, 44 points in the paint, 11 points off 10 USA turnovers, eight second-chance points and six fastbreak points
- South Alabama went 27-of-68 (39.7 percent) from the field and 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Jaguars grabbed 47 rebounds, including 16 off the offensive glass
- Tyrell Jones poured in 18 points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal
- Isiah Gaiter recorded 13 points, six boards, two assists, one block and one steal
- Marcus Millender added 13 points, three boards, one assist and one steal
- Samuel Tabe also recorded 13 points and grabbed 10 boards
- Elijah Ormiston registered 10 points, seven boards, one assist and one steal
- The Jaguars finished with 38 points in the paint, 23 bench points, 21 second-chance points, 20 fastbreak points and 18 points off 16 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M concludes its non-conference schedule on Saturday, Dec. 30 with a trip to Athens, Ga., to meet Georgia. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. from Stegeman Coliseum and streamed on the SEC Network+.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com. Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics) and Twitter (@_aamuathletics).
