CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. | AC Bryant scored 14 of his career-high 19 points in the first half as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team nearly erased a 20-point deficit in the second half in falling, 85-63, to Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon from McKenzie Arena.
Alabama A&M (4-6) fell behind 40-26 at the break and trailed by 20 (54-34) with 16 minutes to play. However, the Bulldogs stormed back, cutting the deficit to six twice before Chattanooga pulled away from the home win.
Bryant, who not only set a career high in points scored, but 3-pointers made and attempted, led the Bulldogs with 19 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Darius Ford added 11 points, three boards, a team-high three assists and one steal.
Honor Huff scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the opening half, along with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals to pace Chattanooga (7-4). Trey Bonham tallied 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M went more than five minutes without a field goal as Chattanooga built a 14-3 advantage after a pair of free throws by Huff with 13:38 remaining
- The Bulldogs caught fire as Darius Ford scored five straight points as AAMU trimmed the margin to 14-11 with 10:39 left
- A triple by Bryant cut the deficit to 16-14, but Chattanooga responded with six straight points, capped by a Huff trey as the Mocs pushed the lead to 22-14 with 8:38 remaining
- The Mocs took advantage of another cold shooting spell by the Bulldogs, stretching the lead to 36-22 with just over two minutes to play in the half
- A Bryant bucket trimmed the Chattanooga lead to 38-26 with 1:22 left, but a Makai Richards jumper sent the Mocs into the break with a 40-26 advantage
- Chattanooga extended the lead to 54-34 just four minutes into the second half after a Bash Wieland layup
- Alabama A&M refused to go away quietly, using a 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-45 with just under 13 minutes remaining after a London Riley triple
- A Bryant layup and a Riley 3-pointer closed the gap to 59-53 with 9:49 left
- The Mocs responded with a 10-3 run over the next two minutes, pushing the advantage to 69-56 after a pair of Huff free throws with 7:04 remaining
- Chattanooga continued to stretch the lead as Bonham scored on a layup, giving the Mocs a 76-58 lead with 4:24 left
- Alabama A&M could not recover over the last four minutes in suffering the road loss
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 26 rebounds, with 17 coming off the defensive glass
- AC Bryant led the Bulldogs with 19 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, along with four rebounds, four steals and two assists
- Darius Ford added 11 points, three boards, a team-high three assists and one steal
- Alabama A&M finished with 18 points in the paint, 18 points off 10 Chattanooga turnovers, 18 bench points, 12 fastbreak points and 11 second-chance points
- Chattanooga went 25-of-49 shooting (51.0 percent) and 21-of-24 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Mocs grabbed 32 rebounds, with nine coming on the offensive glass
- Honor Huff recorded a game-high 24 points, with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals
- Trey Bonham tallied 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals
- Chattanooga finished with 24 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 17 fastbreak points, 15 points off 10 AAMU turnovers and seven second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M closes out its two-game road trip on Wednesday at UAB. Tip-off against the Blazers is set for 6:30 p.m. from Bartow Arena and streamed on ESPN+.
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