THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team fell behind early and used a furious first-half run, taking a nine-point lead into the break, but the Bulldogs couldn't overcome multiple runs in the second half, falling 72-61 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Monday night at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (7-17 overall, 3-8 SWAC) trailed 22-12 after starting the game slow from the floor but used a 22-3 run over the final eight minutes of the first half, taking a 34-25 lead into the break. However, Grambling State (8-16, 5-6) had a pair of runs in the second half and held off a late rally but AAMU to pick up the road win.
Lorenzo Downey paced AAMU with 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Angok Anyang added a career-high 13 points, along with four boards, two assists and two steals, while
Darius Ford recorded 13 points and one assist.
Bilal Abdur-Rahman tallied 10 points, four boards, two assists and two steals.
Kintavious Dozier paced four GSU players in double figures with 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. P.J. Easton registered 15 points, five boards, one block and one steal, while Antwan Burnett tossed in 15 points, nine boards and two assists. Mikale Stevenson chipped in 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams started sluggish from the floor as Alabama A&M got 3-pointers by Bryant and
Saliou Seye as the Bulldogs grabbed an early 6-2 advantage, but Grambling State snapped a more than four-minute stretch without field goal after a trey by Burnett as the Tigers tied the game at 6 with just over 15 minutes to play in the opening half.
The Bulldogs went more than seven minutes without a field goal as the Tigers built a 15-10 lead after a Burnett layup with 10:28 remaining.
Grambling State continued to push the margin, stretching the lead to 10 points, 22-12, after a Burnett jumper with just over eight minutes left.
However, Alabama A&M held GSU scoreless for nearly five minutes, using a 13-0 run, capped by a
Darius Ford free throw as the Bulldogs grabbed a 24-22 advantage with 3:44 remaining.
Grambling State went the final 8:07 of the first half without a field goal as Alabama A&M got a triple from Downey with six seconds left, sending the Bulldogs into the break with a 34-25 lead.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 36-25 after an
Angok Anyang bucket just 15 seconds into the second half, but the Tigers responded with a 15-2 run, capped by an Eason dunk, as Grambling State took a 40-38 lead with 15:27 remaining.
Alabama A&M got four straight points from Downey as the Bulldogs grabbed a 45-40 lead with 13:23 left, but back came GSU, tying the game at 45 after a triple by Stevenson with 11:29 remaining.
Grambling State used an 8-2 run over the next three minutes as the Tigers took a 53-47 lead with 7:55 left and pushed the margin to 61-53 after a free throw by Stevenson with just under five minutes to play.
A putback bucket by Anyang snapped a two-minute scoring slump for the Bulldogs as AAMU trimmed the deficit to 61-55 with 4:06 remaining.
A free throw by Burnett and a 3-pointer by Dozier stretched GSU's lead to 65-55 with 2:20 remaining but a Ford trey closed the gap to 65-58 with 1:53 left.
Alabama A&M could not rally during the final minutes as Grambling State picked up the road win.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the field and 60.0 percent (15-of-25) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 31 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive end
- Lorenzo Downey registered 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal
- Angok Anyang added a career-high 13 points, along with four boards, two assists and two steals
- Darius Ford recorded 13 points and one assist
- Bilal Abdur-Rahman tallied 10 points, four boards, two assists and two steals
- Alabama A&M finished with 26 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 15 points off 16 GSU turnovers, 14 second-chance points and 13 fastbreak points
- Grambling State went 22-of-43 shooting (51.2 percent) from the floor and 21-of-33 (63.6 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Tigers grabbed 37 rebounds, with 31 coming on the defensive end
- Kintavious Dozier posted 17 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals
- P.J. Easton registered 15 points, five boards, one block and one steal
- Antwan Burnett tossed in 15 points, nine boards and two assists
- Mikale Stevenson chipped in 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal
- Grambling State finished with 24 points in the paint, 12 bench points, 12 points off 13 AAMU turnovers, six second-chance points and six fastbreak points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns to the road for its next two games as the Bulldogs visit Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Tip-off against the Delta Devils is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex and streamed on the Valley Sports Network.
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