DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaker on Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs dropped a 63-61 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss to Bethune-Cookman at Moore Gymnasium.
Alabama A&M (8-19 overall, 7-7 SWAC) saw its three-game winning streak snapped with the loss as the Bulldogs could not hold onto a five-point lead during the final three minutes. Dhashon Dyson's jumper with five seconds remaining snapped a 61-61 tie and gave the Wildcats the home win.
Jayland Randall finished with a career-high 17 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, with one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block.
EJ Williams added 11 points, four boards and one assist, while
Cameron Tucker chipped in 10 points, a team-high five assists, three steals and two boards.
Zion Harmon led Bethune-Cookman (13-14, 7-7) with 15 points, four assists and three rebounds. Dyson registered 12 points, three boards and three steals, while Derrick Carter-Hollinger Jr. tallied 10 points, five boards, two steals and one block.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M scored the first six points to grab a 6-0 lead after a Williams bucket with 17:26 remaining
- Jakobi Heady took over for the Wildcats, scoring nine straight points as BCU grabbed a 20-13 lead with just under seven minutes left in the half
- A Tucker trey tied the game at 20 with 5:39 remaining, but the Wildcats used an 8-0 run, capped by a Harmon layup as BCU took a 28-20 advantage with 3:04 left
- BCU took its largest lead of the game, 32-22, after free throws by Carter-Hollinger with 1:11 remaining
- A three-point play by Caleb Blackwell closed the gap to 32-24 right before intermission
- AAMU got back-to-back baskets by Williams as Tucker as the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 32-28 with just 19 minutes to play
- Alabama A&M continued to battle back, grabbing a 38-36 lead after a William Taveres dunk, with 14:18 left
- The two teams continued to trade leads and the Bulldogs grabbed a 59-54 advantage after a free throw by Randall with 3:03 remaining
- The Wildcats chipped away at the deficit before tying the game at 61 after a Dyson free throw with seven seconds left
- After a turnover, Dyson stepped up to play the hero, draining a jumper to give Bethune-Cookman the win
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the floor and 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 31 rebounds, including 25 on the defensive glass
- Jayland Randall registered a career-high 17 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block
- EJ Williams added 11 points, four boards and one assist
- Cameron Tucker chipped in 10 points, a team-high five assists, three steals and two boards
- The Bulldogs finished with 35 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 19 points off 11 BCU turnovers, 15 fastbreak points and seven second-chance points
- Bethune-Cookman went 19-of-54 (35.2 percent) shooting and 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Wildcats grabbed 31 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive glass
- Zion Harmon poured in 15 points, four assists and three rebounds
- Dyson registered 12 points, three boards and three steals
- Derrick Carter-Hollinger Jr. tallied 10 points, five boards, two steals and one block
- The Wildcats finished with 24 points in the paint, 24 bench points, 24 points off 19 AAMU turnovers, eight fastbreak points and seven second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M concludes its road swing on Monday at Florida A&M. Tip-off against the Rattlers is set for 7 p.m. from the Al Lawson Center.
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