MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Tony Armstrong poured in 17 points to lead four Alabama State men's basketball players in double figures as the Hornets led from start to finish in a 79-65 victory over Southern on Monday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
 
"This was a good win for our guys, for the team and for the program," Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson said. "We knew we would have to play some good basketball with the defending champs coming in and guys came out tonight with a lot of energy and a lot of effort. We wanted to push the game and get up and down the floor. The key was that we made shots and made some defensive stops. Tonight we shot the ball really well and had our inside game going."
 
Armstrong was 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the foul line to finish with a team-high 17 points and three rebounds. Rodney Simeon and Reginald Gee each had 13 points, while Torloft Thomas registered 12 points and Amir Warnock led the way on the glass with a game-high 10 boards, including seven on the defensive end.
 
After the game was tied at 4 early, Alabama State took control of the first half and used 20-8 run over the next six minutes to take a 24-12 advantage after a Simeon jumper.
 
The Hornets (5-14 overall, 3-4 SWAC) kept the momentum going and extended the lead to 39-17 after a bucket by Simeon with just over five minutes.
 
Alabama State cruised into halftime as the Hornets, who shot 16-of-28 (58 percent) in the opening half, led 42-25 at the break.
 
The Jaguars (6-12, 3-4) cut the margin to 49-34 after a free throw by Jared Sam, but the Hornets responded quickly with a 3-pointer by Simeon and a layup by Thomas with 16:14 remaining.
 
Alabama State, which shot 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor, extended the margin to as many as 22 in the second half at 69-47 after a 3-pointer by Warnock. Southern made one last push, using an 18-5 run, capped by a Shawn Prudhomme jumper to close the gap to 74-65 with 2:37 left, but that was as close as the Jaguars would get.
 
Alabama State finished with 42 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points.
 
Prudhomme paced the Southern offense with 19 points, while Sam added 17 points and six boards as the Jaguars shot 42 percent (23-of-55) from the field.
 
Alabama State returns to action at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday against Texas Southern in a SWAC matchup in Houston, Texas.
 
For more information on Alabama State University athletics, follow us on Twitter @ASUBUZZ and like us on Facebook.