ITTA BENA, Miss. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team had three players post double figures in scoring as the Bulldogs ended a nine-game road losing streak on Saturday with a 82-70 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory over Mississippi Valley State at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.
Alabama A&M (8-17 overall, 4-8 SWAC) started slow but shot 40 percent in the first half and held Mississippi Valley State to just 25 percent shooting in taking a 32-18 lead into the break. The Delta Devils (3-22, 1-11) got as close as 10 points late in the second half, but never threatened the big AAMU lead.
Lorenzo Downey tied a career high in leading the Bulldogs with 17 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist.
AC Bryant added 16 points, six boards and one steal, while
Darius Ford tossed in 12 points, three boards, two steals and one assist.
Chad Moodie came off the bench to chip in nine points, five boards and one assist.
Jair Horton led MVSU with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Greg Moore recorded 14 points and one assist, while Antonio Sisk added 12 points, three assists and one rebound. Raeshun McGregory registered 11 points, three boards and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a slow start to open the game, Alabama A&M fell behind, 5-2, but reeled off a 17-1 run to grab a 19-7 advantage after an
Aaron Smith layup with 7:37 remaining.
The Bulldogs continued to stretch their lead as Bryant drained a triple and
Chad Moodie scored on a layup as AAMU extended the advantage to 29-14 with 2:32 left.
MVSU got a pair of free throws by Jair Horton with 52 seconds remaining as Alabama A&M took a commanding 32-18 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs struggled from the floor early in the second half, going more than four minutes without a bucket but did most of the damage from the foul line as the Delta Devils were unable to capitalize.
A Bryant layup snapped the scoring slump from the field and sparked a small 7-0 run, capped by a free throw by Smith, as the Alabama A&M led 47-29, with just over 13 minutes to play.
A layup by Moore cut the deficit to 55-43 with 9:39 remaining, but a Downey 3-pointer extended AAMU's advantage to 58-43 with 9:18 left.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Downey and Bryant stretched the Bulldogs' lead to 65-48 with 6:29 remaining and Mississippi Valley State could not recover from the big deficit as AAMU picked up its first road win of the season.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 46.2 percent (24-of-52) and 68.4 percent (26-of-38) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 36 rebounds, with 23 coming on the defensive end
- Lorenzo Downey posted 17 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist
- AC Bryant added 16 points, six boards and one steal
- Darius Ford tossed in 12 points, three boards, two steals and one assist
- Chad Moodie came off the bench to chip in nine points, five boards and one assist
- Alabama A&M finished with 39 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 22 points off 17 MVSU turnovers, 14 second-chance points and eight fastbreak points
- Mississippi Valley State went 23-of-44 from the floor (52.3 percent) and 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Delta Devils grabbed 25 rebounds, with 20 coming off the defensive glass
- Jair Horton led MVSU with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal
- Greg Moore recorded 14 points and one assist
- Antonio Sisk added 12 points, three assists and one rebound
- Raeshun McGregory registered 11 points, three boards and two steals
- Mississippi Valley State finished with 34 points in the paint, 24 bench points, 14 fastbreak points, 13 points off 14 AAMU turnovers and seven second-chance points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M closes out its two-game road swing on Monday at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tip-off against the Golden Lions is set for 6 p.m. from the H.O. Clemmons Arena.
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).
