HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team looks to end a two-game losing streak on Monday as the Bulldogs meet rival Alabama State in the annual Bridge Builder Classic in Mobile, Ala. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
Alabama A&M (3-14 overall, 2-2 SWAC) dropped its last two home games, falling to Alcorn State and Jackson State. (Alabama State (8-9, 3-1) has won three out of its last four games, including a 55-53 win on Saturday against Alcorn State.
HEAD COACH - OTIS HUGHLEY JR.
Career Record: 18-33 (second season)
At Alabama A&M: 18-32 (second season)
SWAC Record: 12-10
SERIES HISTORY [note: since 1994]
All-Time Record vs. Alabama State: Alabama State leads, 41-20
Record in Mobile: Alabama State leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Alabama A&M 55, Alabama State 50 (2/25/2023)
Hughley vs. Alabama State: Tied at 1
LAST MEETING
Messiah Thompson led three players in double figures as Alabama A&M picked up a 55-50 road victory over rival Alabama State on Feb. 25, 2023.
Thompson poured in 17 points, while
Garrett Hicks added 14 points and seven rebounds in helping the Bulldogs to the road win.
Olisa Blaise Akonobi added 10 points and five boards as Alabama A&M shot 39.6 percent from the floor and scored 22 points in the paint.
Roland McCoy came off the bench to finish with a game-high 18 points as the Hornets shot 30.0 percent.
LAST TIME OUT – ALABAMA A&M
Dailin Smith and
AC Bryant each finished just one point shy of tying their career highs, but it wasn't enough as Alabama A&M could not recover from a double-digit deficit in a 75-67 loss to Jackson State on Saturday.
Smith, who went 7-of-12 from the floor, registered a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds, while Bryant came off the bench to provide 11 points.
The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint and 25 bench points., while shooting 40.4 percent from the field.
LAST TIME OUT – ALABAMA STATE
TJ Madlock scored 14 points, including his 1,000-career point in the second half, along with five rebounds as the Hornets rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat Alcorn State, 55-53, on Saturday.
Isaiah Range and Sean Smith recorded 12 and 10 points, respectively, as Alabama State shot 34.4 percent from the floor. The Hornets finished with 24 points in the paint and 23 bench points.
TOP SCORERS
Alabama A&M
Dailin Smith – 14.7 points
Omari Peek – 8.6 points
Cameron Tucker – 7.3 points
Alabama State
D'Ante Bass – 16.0 points
TJ Madlock – 15.4 points
Isiaiah Range – 10.9 points
CJ Hines – 10.3 points
SWAC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH IN PRESEASON POLL
Alabama A&M – seventh
Alabama State – eighth
NATIONAL STATISTICS
Alabama A&M
13
th – Free-throw attempts per game
14
th – Free-throws made per game
17
th – Bench points per game
Dailin Smith – 16
th in free throws
Dailin Smith – 17
th in free-throw attempts
Alabama State
9
th – Fastbreak points
27
th – Offensive rebounds per game
28
th – Steals per game
Ubong Okon – 21
st in offensive rebounds per game
BIGGEST NON-CONFERENCE WIN
Alabama A&M – vs. Tennessee State (85-83, OT // Nov. 29, 2023)
Alabama State – vs. North Carolina A&T State (88-73 // Nov. 24, 2023)
THE MARCH FOR 1,000 POINTS
Dailin Smith currently has 878 career points and needs 122 points to reach 1,000 career points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M will take some significant time off before returning to action on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Texas Southern. Tip-off against the Tigers is scheduled for 5 p.m. and streamed on HBCU GO.
For complete 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).
