THE HILL | Kintavious Dozier scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half as the Alabama A&M University men's basketball team held off Mississippi Valley State, 72-65, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday at the AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (14-11 overall, 7-5 SWAC) trailed 31-29 at the break as Dozier had four points, on 2-of-6 shooting. The senior guard heated up in the second half and finished with 18 points, including going 6-of-6 from the foul line, along with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Koron Davis tossed in 11 points, four boards and one assist, while
James Graham III and
Lou Hutchinson each scored 10 points.
Michael James paced the Delta Devils (1-24, 0-11) with a game-high 21 points, four boards, two assists and two steals. Daniel Mayfield added 16 points and seven boards, while Patrick Punch recorded 12 points.
FIRST HALF
Mississippi Valley State (1-24, 0-11 SWAC) came out aggressive, knocking down 52.2 percent from the field in the opening half and building a six-point advantage midway through the period.
Alabama A&M responded behind timely shooting from
Kintavious Dozier and James Graham, while
Koron Davis helped pace the offense early. The Bulldogs kept it within striking distance despite Valley's 60 percent three-point shooting in the half.
A late turnaround jumper by Graham trimmed the deficit to two before the break, but Alabama A&M entered halftime trailing 31-29.
SECOND HALF
The Bulldogs came out of the locker room with renewed energy. Graham opened the half with a layup to tie the game, and moments later buried a three-pointer to give AAMU the lead.
Alabama A&M seized control with an 11-4 stretch highlighted by second-chance points and aggressive play in the paint. The Bulldogs built their largest lead of the game — 13 points — with 5:54 remaining after
Koron Davis finished through contact and Dozier converted at the line.
Mississippi Valley State made one final push, cutting the deficit to four with just over three minutes remaining. However, Dozier answered with a key jumper in transition before converting four clutch free throws in the final 33 seconds to put the game out of reach.
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M closes out its two-game homestand on Monday as the Bulldogs welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to the AAMU Event Center. Tip-off against the Golden Lions is set for 7 p.m. and streamed on SWAC TV.
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