Game Notes
MONTGOMERY—Every game is a big game for the Alabama State University men's basketball game at this point of the season, and there are none bigger than when they play Alabama A&M University. A full Dunn-Oliver Acadome is expected when the Hornets hosts the Bulldogs Saturday, Feb. 9 at 5 p.m.
Adding to the game is it will be the featured Southwestern Athletic Conference game this week and will be broadcast live on the SWAC Digital Network. Live stats and live play-by-play action from WVAS along with the SWAC Digital Network link can be found on Game Day Central at
www.bamastatesports.com.
ASU (7-17/5-6 SWAC) enters the contest one full game ahead of the Bulldogs (8-14/4-7 SWAC) in the conference standings. ASU is fifth in the conference with AAMU standing sixth. Both teams have a lot to play for as they are working for one of the top four positions for the upcoming conference tournament next month, but what some consider more importantly, it is a rivalry game.
“Hopefully we won't have to tell them how big a game it is,” Head Coach
Lewis Jackson said. “We have looked at tape of them and they have to understand the largeness of the game, and it is a conference game, but the big thing it is Alabama A&M and Alabama State and that carries to much weight to be taken lightly. All of these new guys we took up to A&M did not know about that and they did not seem to know how to meet the challenge and this time they need to step up and meet the challenge.”
AAMU defeated ASU 64-57 in a close game at AAMU back on Jan. 12. It was an evenly matched game that was decided by the Bulldogs getting to the free throw line a lot more than the Hornets. AAMU hit 20 of their 29 free throw attempts, while the Hornets only attempted 11, hitting nine.
Demarquelle Tabb, AAMU's leading scorer, only hit four of his 11 field goal attempts, but hit nine of 13 at the free throw line to lead AAMU in scoring with 17 points. Jeremy Crutcher scored 16 and Brandon Ellis added 14.
Phillip Crawford scored a team-high 16 points and
Jamel Waters added 12 for ASU in the loss.
“Every game we play is important, but with it being Alabama State and Alabama A&M it carries a little bit more,” Jackson said. “It is an in-state rivalry and it is an old rivalry and they got us up at their place. We have to come out ready to play because we certainly need to build off the Valley win and because it is A&M.”
Tabb is AAMU's big play player, he leads the team in scoring (14.0) and in rebounding (9.4). Jeremy Crutcher is their next go-to player. He averages 12.1 points per game and is one of the leaders in the conference in assists with 107.
For the Hornets,
Josh Freelove continues to be the scoring leader at 13.1 points per game. Crawford has now moved into double-digits, averaging 11.2 points per game.
Shawntez Patterson leads the team in rebounding (4.8) and Crawford is right behind him (4.7).
ASU is second in the conference in assists, and has the one-two punch of Denzell McDaniel and
Jamel Waters supplying the punch. McDaniel is 6
th in the conference and leads the team with 3.4 per game and Waters is eight in the conference at 3.1 per outing.
