BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Lorenzo Downey scored 13 of his 16 points, including three 3-pointers, in the second half as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team flexed its muscles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals on Wednesday with a 75-63 victory over Alcorn State at Bartow Arena.
 
Alabama A&M (11-21), which defeated Alcorn State for the first time since 2020, advances to its third consecutive SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinals and will meet either No. 3 seed Texas Southern or No. 6 Seed Jackson State at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Bartow Arena. Alcorn State saw its nine-game winning streak snapped and concludes the season at 14-18.
 
"I am so proud of our young men and how they kept fighting today," Alabama A&M head coach Otis Hughley Jr. said. "To beat a team who won nine straight games and ran the table during the second half of the season is remarkable. We took their best punch in that first half, but in that second half, I felt like we did some things defensively to change their game plan. It also helped that we were shooting the ball extremely well."
 
Downey and Omari Peek led the way with 16 points each as the Bulldogs shot 54.5 percent from behind the 3-point line in the second half. Downey added three rebounds and one assist, while Peek recorded five boards and one steal. EJ Williams and Dylan Mclean both registered eight points.
 
Jeremiah Gambrell four Alcorn State players in double figures with 16 points, two steals, one rebound and one assist. Dekedran Thorn came off the bench to record 12 points and four boards, while Jeremiah Kendall tallied 11 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal. Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt posted 10 points, four assists and two boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Neither team had more than a three-point lead during the opening 10 minutes as Alcorn State grabbed a 18-13 advantage with 9:45 remaining
• Back came the Bulldogs after buckets by Austin Harvell and Chad Moodie closed the gap to 18-17 with 8:31 left
• The Braves used a 10-3 run over the next three minutes, capped by back-to-back triples by Gambrell as Alcorn State pushed the lead to 28-20 with 5:26 remaining
• Alabama A&M pulled within four points, 34-30, as Austin Harvell drained a jumper with just under two minutes left
• A Jayland Randall layup cut the deficit to 35-34 with 14 seconds remaining, but a Byron Joshua layup as time expired gave Alcorn State a 37-34 advantage
• A Peek jumper to opened the second half closed the gap to 37-36. But back came ASU as Gambrell and Jeremiah Kendall sank buckets, pushing the lead to 42-36 with 17:53 remaining
• Alabama A&M took a 43-42 advantage after a Randall 3-pointer with 15:35 left
• Alcorn State responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Thorn, as the Braves grabbed a 51-45 lead with just over 13 minutes to play
• Alabama A&M answered with a 13-0 run, capped by a trey by Downey as the Bulldogs grabbed a 58-51 advantage with just over nine minutes to play
• AAMU stretched its lead to 66-56 after a Downey three with 5:35 remaining
• Free throws by EJ Williams gave the Bulldogs a 69-59 advantage with just over two minutes to play
• Alabama A&M sealed the game at the foul line as Alcorn State went the final 5:07 without a field goal

 
GAME NOTES

• Alabama A&M shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the floor and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the foul line
• The Bulldogs grabbed 41 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass
• Lorenzo Downey poured in 16 points, three rebounds and one assist
• Omari Peek recorded 16 points, five boards and one steal 
• EJ Williams and Dylan Mclean both registered eight points
• The Bulldogs finished with 30 bench points, 24 points in the paint, 16 points off 14 Alcorn State turnovers, nine second-chance points and four fastbreak points
• Alcorn State went 20-of-54 shooting (37.0 percent) and 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the foul line
• The Braves grabbed 34 rebounds, with 24 coming on the defensive glass
• Jeremiah Gambrell registered 16 points, two steals, one rebound and one assist
• Dekedran Thorn came off the bench to record 12 points and four boards
• Jeremiah Kendall tallied 11 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal
• Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt posted 10 points, four assists and two boards
• The Braves finished with 26 points in the paint, 25 bench points, 15 points off 13 AAMU turnovers, 10 fastbreak points and eight second-chance points

UP NEXT  
Alabama A&M advances to its third straight SWAC Men's Tournament Semifinals and will meet either Texas Southern or Jackson State in Friday's game. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. from Bartow Arena and streamed on ESPN+.
 
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), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), Twitter (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (aamuathletics).
  Read Full Article