LORMAN, Miss. | Saliou Seye and
AC Bryant combined for 23 points as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team let a 10-point first-half lead slip away as Alcorn State rallied in the second half for 62-52 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) win on Saturday afternoon at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
Alabama A&M (6-10 overall, 2-1 SWAC) led by 10 points, 27-17, with just over three minutes to play in the first half but could not withstand Alcorn State's second-half rally as the Braves (1-14, 0-1) picked up their first conference win by outscoring AAMU by 15 points in the second half.
Seye was just two points shy of matching a career high, finishing with 12 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, with four rebounds and one assist to lead Alabama A&M. Bryant tossed in 11 points, four boards, two assists and one steal.
Djahi Binet paced Alcorn State with a game-high 16 points, on 6-of-9 shooting, with nine boards and one steal. Marcus Tankersley added 14 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M fell behind 9-4 after a Jalyke Gaines-Watts layup with 16:25 remaining in the opening half, but the Bulldogs rallied and used a 21-6 run over the next 11 minutes to grab a 25-15 advantage after a
Lorenzo Downey triple with just under five minutes to play.
Alcorn State snapped a nearly six-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws by Tycen McDaniels with 4:27 left and ended a seven-minute stretch from the floor as Julian Lual scored on a layup, closing the gap to 27-19 with just over three minutes remaining.
The Braves cut the margin to 27-25 after a Kameron Foreman layup right before the half, but a
Warren Yeh 3-pointer sent Alabama A&M into the break with a 30-25 lead.
Alcorn State used a 12-6 run to begin the second half, taking a 37-36 advantage after a Djahi Binet jumper with just over 16 minutes to play.
Alabama A&M went more than four minutes without a bucket from the floor as Alcorn State built a 46-38 before a Moodie three-point play trimmed the deficit to 46-41 with 10:05 remaining.
However, the Braves stretched their lead to 52-43 after a layup by Wyatt with 8:14 left.
The Bulldogs cut the margin to 56-49 after a Bryant layup with 3:36 remaining, but the Braves answered and extended their lead to 60-49 after a Tankersley free throw with 2:09 left.
Alabama A&M never could get any closer than eight points over the final two minutes in suffering the conference setback.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the floor and 70.0 percent (7-of-10) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 32 rebounds, including 22 off the defensive glass
- Saliou Seye recorded 12 points, four rebounds and one assist
- AC Bryant tossed in 11 points, four boards, two assists and one steal
- Alabama A&M finished with 30 points in the paint, 20 second-chance points, 18 bench points, 10 fastbreak points and six points off 16 Alcorn State turnovers
- Alcorn State went 24-of-57 shooting (42.1 percent) and 13-of-17 (76.5 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Braves grabbed 33 rebounds, with 13 coming off the offensive glass
- Djahi Binet registered a game-high 16 points, nine boards and one steal
- Marcus Tankersley added 14 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists
- Alcorn State finished with 42 points in the paint, 21 points off 22 AAMU turnovers, 19 fastbreak points, 13 bench points and 12 second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M concludes its two-game road swing in Mississippi as the Bulldogs visit Jackson State on Monday. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 7 p.m. from the Lee E. Williams Assembly Center and streamed on the JSU Sports Network.
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).
