ITTA BENA, Miss. | Dailin Smith scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds as he was one of four in double figures as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team held off Mississippi Valley State, 78-70, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Monday night at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
Alabama A&M (3-12 overall, 2-0 SWAC) used a big first-half run and took a 40-31 lead into the break. Mississippi Valley State (0-15, 0-2) cut the deficit to five several times over the final 10 minutes but could not get any closer.
Smith finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one blocked shot to pace the Bulldogs.
Lorenzo Downey scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, along with five boards, two steals and one assist, while
EJ Williams tallied 13 points, one board, one assist and one steal.
AC Bryant scored all 10 of his first in the first half, with two assists and one rebound.
Rayquan Brown and Donovan Sanders each poured in 23 points to lead MVSU. Brown, who went 7-of-14 from the floor, added five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Sanders, who scored 12 first-half points, chipped in three assists, two steals and one board.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M opened the game on a 12-2 run, capped by a Smith layup with 16:19 remaining in the first half.
Mississippi Valley State closed the gap to 12-7 after a bucket by Earnest Minton with 15:19 left, but the Bulldogs used a commanding 14-0 run, capped by a Bryant layup to push the margin to 26-7 with less than 10 minutes to play.
Buckets by Bryant and
Jayland Randall gave AAMU a 32-13 advantage with 7:13 left, but MVSU got back-to-back layups by Sanders, cutting the deficit to 32-17 with 5:43 remaining.
The Bulldogs went cold from the floor down the stretch as the Delta Devils capitalized and used a 14-6 run, trimming the margin to 38-31 after a pair of free throws by Brown with 1:20 left.
However, a Bryant bucket sent Alabama A&M into the break with momentum and a 40-31 lead.
Mississippi Valley State went cold from the floor, going more than five minutes without a field goal as Alabama A&M stretched the lead to 55-40 after a Smith layup with just under 12 minutes to play.
The Delta Devils took advantage of AAMU's cold-shooting spell as the Bulldogs went more than three minutes without a bucket. MVSU used a 13-2 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Darrius Clark, trimming the deficit to 60-55, with just over seven minutes remaining.
Alabama A&M responded with a three-point play by Smith and a layup by Williams as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 65-57 with 6:09 left.
MVSU continued to keep the game close as a Danny Washington triple closed the gap to 67-62 with 3:56 remaining.
Free throws by
Cameron Tucker gave Alabama A&M a 75-66 lead with 1:18 left, but Brown and Sanders added baskets as MVSU trimmed the gap to 75-70 with 44 seconds left.
That would be as close as the Delta Devils would get as the Bulldogs sealed the game at the foul line.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the floor and 72 percent (18-of-25) from the free-throw line
- AAMU pulled down 36 rebounds, including 24 off the defensive glass
- Dailin Smith registered 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one blocked shot Lorenzo Downey scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half, along with five boards, two steals and one assist
- EJ Williams tallied 13 points, one board, one assist and one steal
- AC Bryant scored all 10 of his first in the first half, with two assists and one rebound
- The Bulldogs finished with 40 points in the paint, 21 bench points, 18 points off 11 MVSU turnovers, 15 fast-break points and eight second-chance points
- Mississippi Valley State went 23-of-55 shooting (41.8 percent) and 20-of-25 (80.0 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Delta Devils grabbed 29 rebounds, with 11 coming off the offensive glass
- Rayquan Brown recorded 23 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Donovan Sanders tallied 23 points, three assists, two steals and one board
- The Delta Devils finished with 34 points in the paint, 17 second-chance points, 15 bench points, 15 fast-break points and 15 points off 12 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns home for the first time in 2024 as the Bulldogs play host to Alcorn State on Thursday. Tip-off against the Braves is scheduled for 7 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).
