Jan. 4, 2006

Final Stats

JACKSON, Miss. - After Jackson State's Trey Johnson scorched Alabama A&M for 38 points Monday night, the Alabama State coaching staff had clear designs on keeping that from happening Wednesday night against the Hornets.

While Johnson wasn't nearly as dominant (game-high 22 points), Bama State did not have the answer for JSU's star guard early in the second half as he helped the Tigers to a 77-64 win over the Hornets at the Williams Assembly Center.

"We tried to hold off Trey and did a good job of it at first. But then their big guys started getting off and we had trouble keeping them off the boards," ASU head coach Lewis Jackson said.

Johnson was hot early, scoring Jackson State's first nine points. But he picked up two fouls while playing only nine minutes and ASU took advantage. The Hornets would forge a 15-9 lead and did a good job of banging the boards against the bigger Tigers.

But the early intensity waned and Jackson State would ultimately take a 32-25 lead into the half.

"We tried to establish an inside presence and we were fortunate to get a five, six point lead," Jackson said. "But then we couldn't get the ball inside and our perimeter guys weren't hitting their outside shots."

Alabama State (2-11, 0-2 SWAC) was 0-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half and finished 3-of-17 for the game. Jackson State (6-8, 2-0) also held a 40-38 edge on the boards. But the biggest concern for the Hornets was their inability to get any consistent offensive flow.

"We're having problems scoring, having too many droughts," Jackson said. "Our perimeter guys aren't hitting their shots and we just haven't been able to put enough points on the board."

Three Hornets scored in double figures, led by Akeim Claborn's 13. Cedric Mitchell added 12 and Joel Bosh chipped in with 11.