CONWAY, S.C. | Koron Davis and
Kintavious Dozier combined to score 32 points, but it wasn't enough as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team nearly rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit in falling, 67-60, to Coastal Carolina on Sunday at the HTC Center.
The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half and tied the game three times but could not overtake the Chanticleers in the road loss.
Dozier, who was in foul trouble for most of the game, scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, along with three steals and two rebounds to pace the AAMU offense. Davis poured in nine of his 14 points in the second half and added five boards and one assist.
PJ Eason tossed in nine points, seven boards, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot.
AJ Dancler registered 13 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including going 10-of-12 from the free-throw line to pace Coastal Carolina. Dancler also posted nine boards and two assists. Rasheed Jones added nine points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal, while Joshua Beadle recorded nine points, five boards, three assists and one steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Coastal Carolina, which went 15-of-15 from the foul line in the opening half, jumped out to an 11-5 lead after free throws by Braeden Macvicar with 14:20 remaining, but back came Alabama A&M, closing the gap to 11-9 after free throws by
Sami Pissis with 13:25 left.
However, the Chanticleers (5-3) answered and used an 11-2 run over the next five minutes, pushing the advantage to 22-13 after a Joshua Beadle bucket with 8:32 left.
The Bulldogs (3-3) responded by a jumper and 3-pointer by Dozier, cutting the deficit to 22-18 with just under eight minutes to play.
Dozier went out of the game after picking up his third foul with seven minutes remaining and Coastal Carolina took advantage, stretching the margin to 29-20 after a triple by Macvicar with 6:16 left.
The Bulldogs refused to go away as Davis scored on a layup and a trey to trim the CCU lead to 29-25 with 3:38 remaining.
Coastal Carolina quickly pushed the advantage into double digits, 36-26, after a dunk by Beadle with just over two minutes to play, but Alabama A&M scored the final five points of the first half and cut the deficit to 36-31 at the break.
An early bucket by Dozier closed the gap to just three points, 36-33, at the beginning of the second half, but the Bulldogs went cold from the floor as CCU used a 9-0 run to push the advantage to 45-33 with 16:53 remaining.
Alabama A&M trailed 53-41 with 8:54 left, but the Bulldogs continued to battle back as
Peyton Daniels Sr. scored five straight points to cut the gap to 54-46 with 7:16 remaining.
The Chanticleers went cold from the floor, going more than nine minutes without a field goal, as the Bulldogs used a 9-1 run, capped by a Pissis jumper to tie the game at 55 with 3:43 left.
Coastal Carolina snapped a nine-minute cold spell from the field as Tristan Thompson scored on a layup to grab a 59-55 lead with 3:11 remaining. However, back came AAMU as a Dozier free throw, along with a Davis trey, tied the game at 59 with 2:17 left.
A Dancier jumper with just over one minute remaining gave the Chanticleers a 63-60 lead with 1:09 remaining and the Bulldogs could not recover down the stretch as Coastal Carolina sealed the game at the foul line.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 34.5 percent (20-of-58) from the floor and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 37 rebounds, with 28 coming on the defensive glass
- Kintavious Dozier scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first half, along with three steals and two rebounds
- Koron Davis poured in nine of his 14 points in the second half and added five boards and one assist
- PJ Eason tossed in nine points, seven boards, one assist, one steal and one blocked shot
- Alabama A&M finished with 16 points in the paint, 12 points off 11 CCU turnovers, eight bench points, six second-chance points and four fastbreak points
- Coastal Carolina went 17-of-50 shooting (34.0 percent) and 28-of-34 (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Chanticleers grabbed 44 rebounds, including 35 on the defensive end
- AJ Dancler registered 19 points, nine boards and two assists
- Rasheed Jones added nine points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Joshua Beadle recorded nine points, five boards, three assists and one steal
- Coastal Carolina finished with 20 points in the paint, 18 bench points, eight second-chance points, seven fastbreak points and four points off 10 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to action on Wednesday as the Bulldogs play host to Tennessee State. Tip-off for the Neon Lights Night game is set for 7 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on SWAC TV.
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics – Huntsville's only Division I program - 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).
