THE HILL | Darius Ford,
AC Bryant and
Clance Crosby posted career highs in scoring as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team could not rally late in an 88-83 loss to IU Indy on Monday afternoon at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (4-4) led by as many as nine points (50-41) early in the second half. However, IU Indy (3-5) used a 56-point second half, fueled by a 32-point performance by Paul Zilinskas to earn the win.
Ford, who went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line, scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, along with six rebounds and two steals.
AC Bryant scored all 17 of his points in the second half and recorded two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Chad Moodie tossed in 16 points, three blocks and two boards, while Crosby registered 10 points and two boards.
Zilinskas scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half to pace IU Indy. Jarvis Walker chipped in 13 points, while Sean Craig and Timaris Brown each added 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M opened the game on a 7-2 run, capped by a Ford layup with 17:39 remaining
- IU Indy continued to keep the game close, cutting the deficit to 12-11 after a triple by Alec Millender with 14:41 left
- A Clance Crosby layup in transition gave the Bulldogs an 18-14 lead with 10:45 remaining
- IU Indy, on the heels of a 7-0 run, took a 21-18 lead, but a triple by London Riley tied the game at 21 with 8:37 left
- The Jaguars took advantage of an AAMU shooting slump as IU Indy used an 11-2 run covering nearly four minutes in taking a 32-23 lead
- Ford brought the Bulldogs back, scoring on a 3-pointer, layup and sinking three free throws to give Alabama A&M 33-32 lead right before the break
- The Bulldogs opened the second half strong as AC Bryant threw one down, giving AAMU a 43-39 advantage with 17:34 left
- A Ford bucket pushed the margin to 50-41 with 15:44 remaining, but Zilinskas answered with a triple to keep the game close at 50-44 with 15:30 left
- Alabama A&M stretched the lead to 54-46 after a Crosby jumper with 13:48 remaining
- However, IU Indy cut the deficit to 56-55 after a three-point play by Nathan Dudukovich with just under 12 minutes to play
- The Jaguars tied the game at 58, but AAMU responded with five straight points on free throws by Crosby and a triple by London Riley, taking a 63-58 lead with 9:45 left
- Back came IU Indy, grabbing a 75-72 advantage after a 3-pointer by Dudukovich with just under four minutes remaining
- A jumper by Bilal Abdur-Raham gave Alabama A&M a slim 78-77 lead, but back came the Jaguars as Zilinskas drained a deep 3-pointer to give IU Indy an 80-78 advantage with 1:58 left
- A Bryant free throw closed the gap to 82-81 with 59.9 seconds remaining
- However, a three-point play by Zilinskas gave the Jaguars an 85-81 advantage with 40 seconds left
- After a Ford layup, the Jaguars drained the clock as Jarvis Walker drained a clutch 3-pointer as IU Indy got back into the win column with an 88-83 win
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field and 78.8 percent (26-of-33) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 36 rebounds, with 24 coming on the defensive glass
- Darius Ford scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, along with six rebounds and two steals
- AC Bryant scored all 17 of his points in the second half and recorded two rebounds, one assist and one steal
- Chad Moodie tossed in 16 points, three blocks and two boards
- Clance Crosby registered 10 points and two boards
- Alabama A&M finished with 40 points in the paint, 19 second-chance points, 19 fastbreak points, 19 bench points and 12 points off 10 IU Indy turnovers
- IU Indy went 24-of-57 shooting (42.1 percent) and 28-of-32 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Jaguars grabbed 36 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive glass
- Paul Zilinskas scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half
- Jarvis Walker chipped in 13 points
- Sean Craig and Timaris Brown each added 11.
- IU Indy finished with 24 points in the paint, 21 bench points, 13 second-chance points, six fastbreak points and six points off 13 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M will take a few days off before returning to action and closing out the opening month with one more final home game as the Bulldogs play host to Lipscomb on Saturday. Tip-off against the Bisons is set for 7 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center.
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