BIRMINGHAM – Alabama State didn't wait long Wednesday to take control of its quarterfinal game against Alabama A&M as the Hornets downed their biggest rival and advanced one step closer to the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament title.
ASU led by as many as 22 points in the first half and then staved off several comeback attempts from Alabama A&M to post a 70-58 win over the Bulldogs Wednesday night at Fair Park Arena.
Andrew Hayles scored a team-high 23 points. Brandon Brooks added 15 points and Rashad Provitt scored 12 points and added 10 rebounds in the victory.
The win pushed ASU's record to 20-9 – the second straight season the Hornets have reached the 20-win plateau – and moved the Hornets into a semifinal contest against the winner of Thursday's Southern-Arkansas-Pine Bluff battle.
“Anytime you play a rival in a tournament, it takes double the energy for both sides,” said ASU head coach Lewis Jackson. “We were able to get a good start early and go into the half with a comfortable lead.”
The Hornets took control of the game early. Hayles drilled 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give ASU a 17-5 advantage less than seven minutes into the game. Bama State extend its lead to 32-10 after a 3-point play by Wesley Jones with five minutes left in the first half.
Alabama A&M could never get going, making only six baskets in the first half while shooting 21 percent. A layup by Provitt gave the Hornets a 36-17 lead at halftime, but Jackson wasn't totally satisfied going into the locker room.
“Our defense was good 70 percent of the game. But we had some lapses where they were able to get the ball in the lane,” Jackson said. “Overall, we were pretty good. But it was not 40 minutes of defense.”
ASU led by as many as 23 points early in the second half, but the Bulldogs (8-19), behind the play of Trant Simpson who had a game high 28 points, were able to whittle that lead down to 11 with six minutes to go. But Brooks scored on a layup, and then followed with a breakaway dunk to increase the margin to 58-43 less than a minute later.
“We just pulled together as a team. We were able to talk about what we weren't doing and push the lead back up,” Hayles said.
