Game Notes
MONTGOMERY—If there were a game the Alabama State University (6-17/4-6 SWAC) men's basketball team considered a must-win game, it may be the game against Mississippi Valley State University (3-17/3-7 SWAC) on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
All of Monday's game action is live via stats, streaming or audio on Game Day Central at www.bamastatesports.com.
The loss at home to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday certainly has put a point of emphasis on the game form the ASU coaching staff's point of view.
“You certainly can't come home and drop two at home,” Head Coach
Lewis Jackson said. “We've got to come out and play with a lot of poise, a lot of energy and a lot of effort. And we've got to shoot the ball as well as we did Saturday night. But we have to make stops and make sure we've got the right folks shooting the ball. Phil gave us a great effort and Freelove on the offensive end, but we've got to get this one against Valley on Monday night.”
Freelove and Crawford combined for 50 points against UAPB with Freelove scoring a career-high 29 points. Crawford scored 21, and just missed his second double-double of the season with nine rebounds.
The defense once again struggled to get stops as UAPB had all five starters score in double figures. That is the second consecutive game that happened to ASU as Texas Southern pulled the same feat in ASU's previous game.
Any chance for ASU to get back into the conference race and to move up in the standings will come from their play on the defensive end of the floor.
“We had to put Saturday's game behind us and get ready for Valley,” Jackson said. “It is another tough ball game. Everyone is fighting for position to get ready for the tournament. It is going to be a tough game so we have to get ready for it. We have to come out ready to play and we have to make plays on the defensive end of the court,”
The Hornets defense will have its work cut out as the Delta Devils boast the league's top scorer in Davon Usher. He is averaging 16.1 points per game and had 27 points against the Hornets earlier in the year in ASU's 69-65 win at Valley.
Matt Smith also averages in double digits at 10.3 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder averaging 6.7 per game.
Like ASU, MVSU is coming off a tough loss when they dropped a 65-64 decision at Alabama A&M on Saturday night. The Delta Devils led almost the entire game and held a 64-62 lead with 12 seconds left in the game. AAMU was able to score a late basket, was fouled on the play, and converted the free throw, for the final points in the one-point game.
Freelove has his average up to 13.4 points per game and is ninth in the conference in scoring. Crawford has his scoring average up to 10.3 per game and is one of the top shooters in the conference knocking down 55 percent of his field goal attempts.
