HUNTSVILLE, Ala. | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team survived a late rally by rival Alabama State as the Bulldogs prevailed, 58-53, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday afternoon at the sold out AAMU Event Center.
Alabama A&M (9-20 overall, 8-8 SWAC), which played in front of a record crowd of 6,389, led by as many as eight points with less than two minutes remaining. Alabama State (12-17, 7-9) had two looks at the basket to tie the game with less than 15 seconds left but came away empty-handed.
Cameron Tucker led the way with a team-high 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Omari Peek registered 11 points, two boards, one assist and one block, while Lorenzo Downey recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards, with one steal.
Isaiah Range paced Alabama State with 17 points, five boards and four assists. TJ Madlock chipped in 14 points, five steals, four boards, one assist and one block.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team got much distance early as Alabama A&M grabbed a 16-12 lead after a triple and layup by AC Bryant with just under eight minutes to play in the opening half
Back came Alabama State as Range drained back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Hornets an 18-16 advantage lead with 5:49 remaining
The Bulldogs used an 8-4 run, capped by an Eric Lee layup to grab a 24-21 lead with 4:07 left
AAMU stretched the lead to 29-24 after free throws by Omari Peek and Chad Moodie with 1:32 remaining
However, ASU answered as TJ Madlock and Range drained back-to-back triples as the Hornets went into the break with a 30-29 advantage
The Bulldogs opened the second half strong and took a 37-32 lead after a Tucker 3-pointer with just over 18 minutes to play
Alabama State battled back as Jastevan Walker's trey gave the Bulldogs a 42-40 lead with 12:57 remaining
AAMU answered and forced a timeout, on the heels of an 8-0 run, capped by a jumper by Peek with just over eight minutes remaining
The Hornets snapped a nearly seven-minute scoring drought as Range knocked down a jumper, closing the gap to 50-44 with 6:13 left
Alabama State continued to keep the game close, cutting the deficit to 54-48 after two free throws by Madlock
A Tucker jumper gave AAMU a 56-48 lead with 2:21 left, but the Hornets got five straight free throws to close the margin to 56-53 with 58 seconds remaining
The Bulldogs had an opportunity on their next offensive possession, but Tucker's three banged off the front iron and Madlock grabbed the loose ball as ASU called timeout with 20 seconds left
The Hornets had two looks at the basket for the tie and came away empty-handed as Alabama A&M put the game away at the foul line with 2.2 seconds remaining
GAME NOTES
Alabama A&M shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the floor and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the free-throw line
The Bulldogs grabbed 44 rebounds, including 30 on the defensive glass
Cameron Tucker led the way with a team-high 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal
Omari Peek registered 11 points, two boards, one assist and one block
Lorenzo Downey recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards, with one steal
The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 17 bench points, 11 fastbreak points, six second-chance points and six points off 12 ASU turnovers
Alabama State went 16-of-60 from the floor (26.7 percent) and 11-of-14 (78.6 percent) from the charity stripe
Isaiah Range paced Alabama State with 17 points, five boards and four assists
TJ Madlock chipped in 14 points, five steals, four boards, one assist and one block
The Hornets finished with 15 points off 15 AAMU turnovers, 13 fastbreak points, 10 points in the paint, 10 second-chance points and nine bench points
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its three-game homestand on Thursday against Grambling State. Tip-off during Western/Country Night is set for 7:30 p.m. from the AAMU Event Center and streamed on Bulldogs All-Access.
