THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team got 13 points by
Lorenzo Downey and held off a late rally attempt by Mississippi Valley State in a 79-67 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory on Monday night at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (6-9 overall, 2-0 SWAC) led by as many as 21 points in the first half, but found themselves in a battle early in the second as Mississippi Valley State came all the way back to tie the game at 42 and cut the deficit to two points three times before the Bulldogs held on for their second consecutive victory.
Downey led three Alabama A&M players in double figures with 13 points, nine boards, one block and one assist, while
Darius Ford added 11 points, two boards and one assist.
AC Bryant capped the night with a dunk and finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal.
Arthur Tate led MVSU with 17 points, six boards and one steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M opened the game strong as Mississippi Valley State went nearly five minutes without a field goal as the Bulldogs built a 10-2 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Delta Devils (2-13, 0-2) got a layup and 3-pointer by Tate to close the gap to 11-7 with 13:29 left, but the Bulldogs responded by using an 11-3 run, capped by a
London Riley 3-pointer with 11:15 remaining.
Alabama A&M's defense held MVSU without a field goal for more than three minutes as the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 36-15 after a
Chad Moodie jumper with 2:45 left.
However, Mississippi Valley State used a 13-2 run over the final 2:26 to cut the deficit to 38-28 at the break.
The Delta Devils began the second half strong, using a furious 14-4 run to tie the game at 42 after a Donovan Sanders layup with 15:31 remaining.
Back came Alabama A&M with 11 straight points, capped by a Bryant one-handed jam as the Bulldogs grabbed a 53-42 lead with just under 13 minutes to play.
Mississippi Valley State refused to go away quietly, closing the gap to 61-59 after a fastbreak layup by Tate with 7:44 remaining.
Darius Ford scored five straight points and Bryant added a layup as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 72-64 with 1:51 left and Mississippi Valley State could not get any closer than seven points down the stretch.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 45.5 percent (30-of-66) from the field and 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 49 rebounds, with 21 coming on the offensive glass
- Lorenzo Downey recorded 13 points, nine boards, one block and one assist
- Darius Ford added 11 points, two boards and one assist
- AC Bryant capped the night with a dunk and finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal
- Alabama A&M finished with 44 bench points, 26 bench points, 20 points off 21 UAPB turnovers, 18 fastbreak points and 16 second-chance points
- Mississippi Valley State went 24-of-59 from the floor (40.7 percent) and 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Delta Devils grabbed 26 rebounds, with 18 coming off the defensive glass
- Arthur Tate tallied 17 points, six boards and one steal
- Mississippi Valley State finished with 35 bench points, 34 points in the paint, 21 points off 18 AAMU turnovers, 20 fastbreak points and nine second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to the road for a pair of games, starting on Saturday at Alcorn State. Tip-off against the Braves is set for 3 p.m. in Lorman, Miss.
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