HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | Dailin Smith scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team fell to Jackson State,75-67, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday night at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (3-14 overall, 2-2 SWAC) trailed by 10 at the break, but cut the deficit to 54-51 with less than 10 minutes to play. However, the Bulldogs could not get any closer as Jackson State (7-9, 3-0) pulled away for the road victory.
Smith, who went 7-of-12 from the floor, led the Bulldogs with 26 points, a team-high seven rebounds, one steal and one block.
AC Bryant chipped in 11 points and four boards.
Ken Evans Jr. paced Jackson State with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Jordan O'Neal registered 12 points, eight boards and one steal, while Coltie Young recorded 11 points, six boards and one assist. Chase Adams added 10 points, three assists and one board.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jackson State raced out to an 11-8 advantage after a 3-pointer by Evans with 15:27 remaining in the opening half.
Alabama A&M answered, tying the game at 15 after a Smith jumper with just over eight minutes to play.
Jackson State responded with four straight points, capped by a Zeke Cooper jumper as the Tigers took a 19-15 lead with 6:38 remaining.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 19-18 after a dunk by Smith, but the Tigers used a 6-1 run over the next two minutes to take a 25-20 advantage after a jumper by Coltie Young.
Jackson State stretched its lead to 10, 34-24, after free throws by Adams and Young with 1:54 left.
Alabama A&M went cold from the floor for two-plus minutes until
Caleb Blackwell drained a wide-open triple, closing the gap to 34-27 with three seconds left. However, an Evans 3-pointer as time expired sent the Tigers into the break with a 37-27 lead.
Jackson State extended the advantage to 44-30 after a 3-pointer by Adams with just over 18 minutes left.
Smith continued his hot shooting night by draining a trey as AAMU refused to go away quietly in cutting the deficit to 44-33 with 17:24 remaining.
The Tigers went cold from the floor as the Bulldogs used a 9-2 run, capped by back-to-back buckets by
AC Bryant, to close the gap to 54-51 with 9:48 left.
Back-to-back 3-pionters by Keionte Cornelius pushed the lead back to double-digits, 63-53, with 4:26 remaining.
Alabama A&M could not rally during the final four minutes as Jackson State picked up the road win.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 40.4 percent (19-of-47) from the floor and 75.8 percent (25-of-33) from the free-throw line
- AAMU pulled down 34 rebounds, with 24 coming off the defensive glass
- Dailin Smith poured in a game-high 26 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block
- AC Bryant added 11 points and four boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 25 bench points, 21 fastbreak points, 15 points off 11 JSU turnovers and seven second-chance points
- Jackson State went 22-of-59 from the field (37.3 percent) and 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Tigers grabbed 39 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass
- Ken Evans Jr. registered 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal
- Jordan O'Neal recorded 12 points, eight boards and one steal
- Coltie Young tallied 11 points, six boards and one assist
- Chase Adams added 10 points, three assists and one board
- The Tigers finished with 22 points in the paint, 18 bench points, 17 second-chance points, 14 points off 15 AAMU turnovers and 12 fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to the road in a neutral-site game on Monday against rival Alabama State. Tip-off in the annual Bridge Builder Classic is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Mitchell Arena on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
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).
