MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Three Alabama State men's basketball players reached double figures in scoring, but it wasn't enough to derail Alcorn State as the Hornets fell, 78-71, at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Saturday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game.
 
"It was a tough loss tonight," Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson said. "I thought we came out with a lot of energy and got off to a good start. We are just playing in peaks and valleys right now. We've got to play at a high level right now. They made plays down the stretch and we struggled down the stretch."
 
Tony Armstrong, who was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Simeon had 13 points and four boards, while Reginald Gee tallied 12 points.
 
Alabama State (4-14 overall, 2-4 SWAC) jumped out to a 7-0 advantage with 17:31 left in the opening half after a layup by Steve Rogers, but Alcorn State rallied and cut the deficit to 7-6 after a 3-pointer by Maurice Howard.
 
The Hornets grabbed a 21-15 lead after two free throws by Glenn Hollaway with 10:07 remaining, but again the Braves continued to rally and trimmed to margin to 25-22 after a dunk by DeAndre Davis with 7:48 left.
 
Alcorn State (7-11, 4-3) used a 20-10 run over the final seven and a half minutes to take a 42-35 advantage into the break.
 
The Braves, who shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) and 40 percent (8-of-20) from behind the 3-point line, led 50-43 after a pair of free throws by A.J. Mosby, but the Hornets used an 11-0 run, capped by a Simeon 3-pointer with 11:42 left, to grab a 54-50 advantage.
 
Alabama State stretched the lead to 62-55 after a free throw by Simeon with 7:39 left, but Alcorn State used an 11-0 run, capped by a Marquis Vance layup with 4:42 remaining to give the Braves a 66-62 lead.
 
The Hornets, who shot 35.2 percent (25-of-71) from the floor and 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from the free-throw line, tied the game at 66 after a jumper by Terrance LeFlore, but the Braves ended the final 3:58 on a 12-5 run.
 
Howard posted 18 points, on 5-of-9 shooting and 5-of-5 from behind the 3-point line, with six rebounds. Vance added 13 points, while Reginal Johnson recorded 12 points and five rebounds. Davis finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
 
Alabama State returns to action Monday night hosting Southern University at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.
 
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