DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | Chad Moodie scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the first half as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team could not overcome a slow start to the second period on Monday night in an 89-75 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss to Bethune-Cookman inside Moore Gymnasium.
Alabama A&M (7-15 overall, 3-6 SWAC) entered the break tied at 41, but went the first six minutes of the second half without a field goal as Bethune-Cookman built a 12-point lead. The Wildcats (9-13, 6-3) saw the advantage dwindle down to three, but pulled away to remain perfect this season at home.
Moodie went 9-for-12 from the floor to finish with 19 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, two assists and one steal.
AC Bryant added 14 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, along with two rebounds and one assist.
Darius Ford poured in 11 points and one assist, while
Jaylen Colon chipped in 10 points, two assists, one board and one steal.
Trey Thomas led Bethune-Cookman with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jesus Carralero recorded a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards, with two assists and one steal. Daniel Rouzan added 16 points, seven boards and two blocks, while Kalil Camara posted 15 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals. David Onanina chipped in 14 points and one assist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alabama A&M raced out to a 12-6 lead after a triple by
London Riley with 15:15 remaining in the opening half, but Bethune-Cookman responded with a 13-2 run, capped by Onanina layup, giving the Wildcats a 19-14 advantage with 11:34 left.
Back came the Bulldogs, tying the game at 24 after a Moodie layup with just over eight minutes to play and AAMU grabbed a 39-34 lead after a Colon 3-pointer with 1:59 remaining.
The Wildcats rallied as Camara's trey sent the two teams into the break tied at 41.
Bethune-Cookman opened the second half on 12-0 run, capped by a three-point play by Thomas with 16:19 remaining, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 53-41 advantage.
Alabama A&M got its first bucket of the second half on a Moodie layup with 13:57 left, closing the gap to 53-43.
BCU stretched its lead to 55-43 but the Bulldogs battled back, cutting the deficit to 63-60 after a Moodie three-point play with just over nine minutes to play.
The Wildcats responded and stretched their advantage to 75-64 after a Rouzan three-point play with 4:54 left.
However, Alabama A&M never got any closer than eight points during the final 4:34 as Bethune-Cookman remained unbeaten at home.
GAME NOTES
- Alabama A&M shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the floor and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free-throw line
- The Bulldogs grabbed 27 rebounds, with 11 coming from the offensive end
- Chad Moodie registered 19 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, two assists and one steal
- AC Bryant added 14 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, along with two rebounds and one assist
- Darius Ford poured in 11 points and one assist
- Jaylen Colon chipped in 10 points, two assists, one board and one steal
- Alabama A&M finished with 33 bench points, 26 points in the paint, 14 second-chance points, 14 points off 13 BCU turnovers and 11 fastbreak points
- Bethune-Cookman went 31-of-61 shooting (50.0 percent) and 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) from the charity stripe
- The Wildcats grabbed 46 rebounds, including 28 off the defensive glass
- Trey Thomas led Bethune-Cookman with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals
- Jesus Carralero recorded a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards, with two assists and one steal
- Daniel Rouzan added 16 points, seven boards and two blocks
- Kalil Camara posted 15 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals.
- David Onanina chipped in 14 points and one assist
- Bethune-Cookman finished with 38 points in the paint, 15 bench points, 13 fastbreak points, 11 second-chance points and 10 points off 11 AAMU turnovers
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M returns home on Saturday as the Bulldogs play host to Southern. Tip-off against the Jaguars is set for 4 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.
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).
