BATON ROUGE, La. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team had four player post double figures in scoring, but it wasn't enough to slow down a hot-shooting Southern team in an 81-68 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss on Saturday at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
Alabama A&M (12-11 overall, 5-5 SWAC) trailed 36-33 at the break but Southern (10-13, 6-4) shot nearly 55 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored the Bulldogs, 45-35, to pick up the home victory.
Koron Davis led AAMU with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block, while
Sami Pissis and James Graham each recorded 14 points.
Kintavious Dozier added 13 points, six assists, five boards and one steal.
Terrance Dixon Jr. paced Southern with 18 points, on 8-of-11 shooting, along with eight rebounds, three blocks and one steal. AJ Barnes posted 17 points, while Michael Jacobs added 15 points. Fazi Oshodi and DaMariee Jones each recorded 12 points.
First Half
Southern opened the game with an early burst, scoring the first 10 points as Dixon and Oshodi attacked in transition. Alabama A&M answered at the 16-minute mark when Pissis converted a second-chance bucket in the paint to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Pissis knocked down a three-pointer with 15:32 remaining, and Davis followed with consecutive finishes in the lane to trim the deficit to single digits. AAMU continued to chip away, using its activity on the glass and strong perimeter shooting to stay within striking distance.
Late in the half, Pissis drained a triple off a Dozier assist, and Dozier buried a three with 22 seconds remaining to pull the Bulldogs within one possession. Southern answered at the buzzer to take a 36–33 halftime lead.
Second Half
Southern quickly regained momentum to open the second half, stretching its lead to double figures behind baskets from Dixon and Jacobs. Alabama A&M responded with a fast-break three from Dozier and a turnaround jumper by Graham, but the Jaguars continued to convert on second-chance opportunities.
Midway through the half, Southern used a 10-2 run to push the lead to 15, highlighted by back-to-back threes from AJ Barnes. Despite the margin, the Bulldogs continued to compete, as Davis finished through contact and Pissis added another assist on a Graham three to cut the deficit to 13 with just over six minutes to play.
Southern answered again with timely shooting, building its largest lead of the game at 19 points with 3:27 remaining. Alabama A&M closed the game with a late push, as Davis hit a three and converted at the line in the final minute, but the Jaguars secured the 81–68 victory.
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M closes out the Louisiana road trip on Monday when the Bulldogs visit Grambling State. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 6:30 p.m. from the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly 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).
