HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | Dailin Smith paced the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell to Alcorn State, 74-71, on Thursday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (3-13 overall, 2-1 SWAC) tied the game at 65 with 2:29 remaining but could not hold off Alcorn State.
Smith led the way with 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block.
Lorenzo Downey added 12 points, three boards, one assist and one steal, while
Omari Peek chipped in 11 points and three boards.
Jeremiah Kendall paced Alcorn State with a double-double 15 points and 13 rebounds, along with two assists and one steal. Byron Joshua added 12 points, six assists and two steals, while Jeremiah Gambrell tallied 10 points, two boards, two steals and one assist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alcorn State (2-13, 1-1) raced out to a 10-4 advantage after two free throws by Dekedran Thorn, but a triple by
Lorenzo Downey trimmed the deficit to 10-7 with 16:19 remaining in the half.
The Braves put together an 8-2 run, capped by a Mike Pajeaud layup as Alcorn State extended its lead to 18-9 with 12:16 left.
Alabama A&M responded with a 10-3 run, capped by a three-point play by
Cameron Tucker and free throws by
Chad Moodie, closing the gap to 21-19 with 9:18 remaining.
The Bulldogs continued to battle back, tying the game at 28 after an
Omari Peek putback with 3:23 left.
Alcorn State used a 9-2 run over a two-minute stretch toward the end of the first half as the Braves pushed the lead to 37-30 lead with 36 seconds left.
However, a
Lorenzo Downey trey gave the Bulldogs momentum headed into the locker room as Alcorn State held a 37-33 halftime advantage.
Alcorn State stretched the lead to 43-36 after a Kendall layup with a little less than 18 minutes to play, but Alabama A&M answered after a Peek jumper and Downey triple, closing the deficit to 43-41 with 16:54 remaining.
Trailing 45-42 with 15:36 remaining, the Bulldogs used an 8-3 run, capped by five straight
Dailin Smith points as Alabama A&M grabbed a 50-46 advantage with just under 13 minutes to play.
The Bulldogs went cold from the floor and Alcorn State took advantage by using a 12-4 run over five-minute span as the Braves grabbed a 63-60 lead after a Kendall jumper with 4:16 remaining.
Jayland Randall came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring three straight points, tying the game at 65 with 2:29 left.
However, the Braves scored the next six points, including four from Byard, as Alcorn State took a 71-65 lead with 53 seconds remaining.
Smith banked home a triple on AAMU's next possession, closing the margin to 71-68, with 45 seconds left.
Alcorn State got two free throws from Gaines-Wyatt to extend the advantage to 73-68 with 29 seconds remaining, but another trey from Smith cut the deficit to 73-71 with 15 seconds left.
Forced to foul, Byron made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line and Smith had another opportunity to tie the game at 74 but just missed as the ball was knocked out of play with 3.4 seconds remaining.
AAMU got the ball on the in-bounds play, but Smith's shot hit the front iron and bounced away as time expired.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 75.0 percent (12-of-16) from the free-throw line
- AAMU pulled down 29 rebounds, including 18 on the defensive glass
- Dailin Smith recorded 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block
- Lorenzo Downey added 12 points, three boards, one assist and one steal
- Omari Peek chipped in 11 points and three boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 28 points in the paint, 19 bench points, 16 points off 13 Alcorn State turnovers, 10 second-chance points and two fastbreak points
- Alcorn State went 27-of-62 shooting (43.5 percent) and 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Braves pulled down 38 rebounds, with 20 coming on the offensive glass
- Jeremiah Kendall registered a double-double 15 points and 13 rebounds, along with two assists and one steal
- Byron Joshua added 12 points, six assists and two steals
- Jeremiah Gambrell tallied 10 points, two boards, two steals and one assist
- The Braves finished with 38 points in the paint, 28 bench points, 19 second-chance points, 19 points off 15 turnovers and 18 fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M concludes its two-game homestand on Saturday against Jackson State. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.
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).
