ROCK HILL, S.C. – Jamel Waters game-high and season-high 24 points were not enough in another close road loss as Alabama State fell 92-84 at Winthrop University.
 
The Hornets stayed right with the high-scoring Eagles until a 9-0 run by the home team midway through the second half turned a 66-64 lead into a 75-66 lead and the Hornets were unable to make up the deficit.  The closest ASU would get was 87-81 with 1:30 left in the game.
 
"Winthrop is a good team," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "Now saying they are a good team we still didn't play very good on the defensive end of the court.  Anytime you score 82 points you should be winning the game.  We have to find some guys that are going to play better defense."
               
The two differences in the game that hurt ASU was their 17 turnovers which led to 23 Eagle points and the home team outscoring ASU 20-7 from the free throw line.  While ASU did hit seven of their eight attempts, Winthrop hit 20 of its 27.  The Hornets had 34 field goals in the game while Winthrop had 33.
 
Four other ASU players joined Waters in double figures as Steve Rogers continued his hot shooting on the road trip and finished with 15 points.  Bobby Brown and Corvon Butler added 14 and Tony Armstrong had 11.
 
ASU won the rebounding battle grabbing 39 compared to Winthrop's 34.  Butler completed this second double-double of the season by grabbing a team-high 10.  Brown grabbed seven and Armstrong had six.
 
The 84 points were the most the Hornets had scored since scoring 85 in their season-opening win at Virginia Tech.  ASU finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field and hit nine of their 25 three point attempts for 36 percent.
 
Like the Hornets, Winthrop had five double digit scorers led by Jimmy Gavin's 23.  Zach Price had 19, Keon Johnson 14, Xasvier Cooks 13 and Roderick Perkins 12.
 
Winthrop came into the game averaging 90 points a game and finished the game shooting 51 percent from the field.  They only hit six of their 23 three point attempts but the difference at the free throw line turned out to be the difference in the game.
 
For the second consecutive game the Hornets held a slim halftime lead, this one 50-45.  The opening 20 minutes was the best scoring half of the season the Hornets.  Waters led the way with 16 points and Butler added 10 as ASU shot 55 percent from the field, including hitting six of their 11 three point shots.
 
Winthrop also shot the ball very well in the first half finishing hitting 50 percent.  Perkins came off the bench to spark the host with 11 first half points.
 
The game completed a three-game, eight-day road trip.  Jackson said "this has been a long road trip and we are all ready to get back home.  We are going to take a few days off and regroup on Dec. 27 to start preparing for our final non-conference game and the start of the conference season."
 
The Hornets will take a few days off for the Christmas break before getting back together early next week.  The Hornets will host Fort Valley State Dec. 30 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.  Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.