NORFOLK, Va. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team led by as many as eight points in the first half and held a slim lead at the break, but could not hold on as the Bulldogs saw its season end in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, present by BSN Sports, on Saturday with an 81-66 loss to Norfolk State at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall.
Norfolk State (23-11) advances to Wednesday's championship game and will meet either Purdue Fort Wayne or Tarleton State. Alabama A&M concludes its season at 12-23.
Lorenzo Downey scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, along with five rebounds and one blocked shot.
London Riley came off the bench, going 4-of-6 from long range and finished with 15 points and one board.
Chad Moodie Added 14 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Five players posted double figures for Norfolk State, led by 16 points by Allen Betrand. Daryl Anderson recorded 15 points, while Jack Doumbia chipped in 13. Christian Ings and Chris Fields Jr. each added 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Alabama A&M jumped out to a 17-9 advantage after an Eric Lee layup nearly 10 minutes into the first half
- A Gilbert Brown triple closed the deficit to 20-16 with 6:43 remaining
- Norfolk State continued to chip away at the AAMU lead as Ings drained a 3-pointer with less than two minutes left as the Bulldogs held a slim, 24-23 advantage
- However, a pair of Omari Peek free throws gave the Bulldogs a 31-26 lead with seven seconds left, but the Spartans trimmed the deficit to 31-28 after one period
- A Riley triple gave AAMU a 32-28 lead with just under 19 minutes to play
- Back came the Spartans, on the heels of a 9-2 run, as Anderson drained a trey as NSU grabbed a 37-34 lead with 15:48 remaining
- The two teams continued to go back-and-forth as Riley banked home another three as Alabama A&M took a 45-43 lead with 11:37 left
- The Bulldogs fell behind and trailed, 55-53, after free throws by Downey and Moodie with seven minutes to play
- That would be as close as Alabama A&M would get during the final seven minutes as Norfolk State pulled away for its 15th home win of the season
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 31 rebounds, with 22 coming off the defensive glass
- Lorenzo Downey scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, along with five rebounds and one blocked shot
- London Riley came off the bench, going 4-of-6 from long range and finished with 15 points and one board
- Chad Moodie Added 14 points, four rebounds and one assist
- The Bulldogs finished with 28 bench points, 24 points in the paint, 12 second-chance points, 10 fastbreak points and two points off seven NSU turnovers
- Norfolk State went 31-of-66 shooting (47.0 percent) and 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Spartans grabbed 38 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive glass
- Allen Betrand registered 16 points
- Daryl Anderson recorded 15 points, while Jack Doumbia chipped in 13
- Christian Ings and Chris Fields Jr. each added 11 points
- The Spartans finished with 45 bench points, 40 points in the paint, 18 points off 14 AAMU turnovers, 14 second-chance points and 12 fastbreak points
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