THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team could not overcome a sluggish start to the second half as Alabama State rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat the Bulldogs, 69-65, on Saturday in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (6-12 overall, 2-3 SWAC) led by as many as 13 points (37-24) in the first half, but did not score a final goal over the final four minutes as Alabama State (7-11, 3-2) earned its first road win of the season.
AC Bryant scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds for a double-double, along with two assists and one steal.
Jaylen Colon added nine points on three 3-pointers.
Amarr Knox and Micah Simpson each recorded 14 points to pace Alabama State. TJ Madlock added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M held Alabama State to just two field goals for nearly 10 minutes as the Bulldogs built a 16-8 advantage with 10:30 remaining in the first half. A jumper by TJ Madlock ended the scoring slump for the Hornets, cutting the deficit to 16-10 with 10:39 left.
The Hornets closed the gap to 16-11 with 8:37 left, but the Bulldogs answered and pushed the lead to 28-18 after a trey by Bryant with 4:27 remaining.
Alabama A&M continued to stretch the margin, extending it to 32-20 after a Bryant layup with 3:01 left.
ASU closed the gap to 32-24 after a TJ Madlock bucket with 1:01 remaining, but the Bulldogs closed the period strong with free throws by
Bilal Abdur-Rahman and a 3-pointer by
Jaylen Colon as AAMU went into the break with a 37-24 lead.
The Bulldogs started the second half sluggish, going more than five minutes without a field goal, as the Hornets closed the deficit to 40-35 after a Knox 3-pointer and after a trey by Simpson, the lead dwindled down to just one point, 44-43, with 12:35 remaining.
Alabama State grabbed its first lead since early first half on a trey by Knox with 11:18 left, but back came AAMU as Colon drained a deep 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 48-46 advantage with 10:01 to play.
However, ASU used a furious 11-3 run, capped by free throws by Jalen Keago, giving the Hornets a 57-51 lead with 8:10 remaining.
Alabama State continued to stretch its lead, pushing the margin to 60-53 after a Simpson fastbreak layup with 7:38 left, but AAMU refused to go away quietly as
Darius Ford's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 64-62 with 4:35 remaining.
Alabama A&M was able to close the gap to two points just one more time over the final four minutes as Alabama State picked up its first road win of the season.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the floor and 70.0 percent (14-of-20)
- The Bulldogs grabbed 41 rebounds, including 17 off the offensive glass
- AC Bryant scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds for a double-double, along with two assists and one steal
- Jaylen Colon added nine points on three 3-pointers
- Alabama A&M finished with 25 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points, seven points off 10 ASU turnovers and two fastbreak points
- Alabama State went 23-of-67 shooting (34.3 percent) and 17-of-25 (68.0 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Hornets grabbed 47 rebounds, with 27 coming off the defensive glass
- Amarr Knox and Micah Simpson each recorded 14 points
- TJ Madlock added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds
- Alabama State finished with 28 points in the paint, 27 bench points, 20 points off 15 AAMU turnovers, 14 second-chance points and 13 fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its three-game conference homestand as the Bulldogs play host to Texas Southern next Saturday (Jan. 25). Tip-off against the Tigers is scheduled for 4 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.
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