PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Alabama State University men's basketball battled throughout the first half against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but a second half surge by the Golden Lions handed Alabama State their second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) loss, 71-63 on the road Saturday night.
 
Steve Rogers paced three players in double figures for Alabama State (3-14, 1-2 SWAC) with 13 points, while Torloft Thomas 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. Demetruis Houston added 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Reginald Gee finished with nine points for the Hornets, while Mikel Tyson finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
Alabama State finished the night shooting 36.5 (23-of-63) percent from the floor and 30.4 (7-of-23) percent from beyond the arc, while shooting 62.5 (10-of-16) percent from the free throw line. The Hornets were able to win the rebounding battle 41-37, while forcing 22 Arkansas-Pine Bluff turnovers.
 
The two teams traded the lead five times in the first half, both using runs throughout the half to keep the game within reach. Alabama State had the first run of the half, after scoring the first five points of the game and holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff without a basket for nearly four minutes to start.
 
The Hornets used a 7-0 run to race to a 14-9 lead early in the first half. The run was highlighted by a pair of players as Houston (four points) and Thomas (three points) combined for all seven points.
 
Alabama State was able to extend the lead to 21-13 midway through the second half after scoring back-to-back baskets, before Arkansas-Pine Bluff went on their own run in the first half. The Golden Lions held Alabama State without a basket for four minutes late in the first half while going on a 7-2 run after the game was tied for the first time at 28-all with 2:20 to play before intermission.
 
With the run, Arkansas Pine-Bluff was able to extend their lead to 35-30 and set the stage for the second half where the Golden Lions had an answer for every Alabama State basket.
 
Alabama State was able to pull within four points on a pair of occasions, the first on a Thomas three-pointer with 12:57 to play in the game to pull within 49-45. They were able to get to four again with 10:54 to play at 51-47 on a pair of Gee free throws; however, it was a span of six minutes that Alabama State was held without a basket midway through the second half to help Arkansas-Pine Bluff pull away.
 
After the Golden Lions went on an 11-2 run over a four-minute span, Alabama State found themselves down 68-52 with two minutes to play in the game. That is when they made their final run, starting with a Houston jumper with 1:59 to play, followed by a three-pointer from Rogers to trim the deficit to 68-57 with 1:22 to play in the game. The Hornets continued their 9-0 run with a pair of baskets to pull within 68-63 with 33 seconds to play, before Arkansas-Pine Bluff was able to put the game away at the free throw line.
 
Ghiavonni Robinson led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-12, 2-0 SWAC) with 13 points, while JoeRandle Toliver added 12 and Jaquan Lynch 11. The Golden Lions finished the night shooting 439 (25-of-57) percent from the floor, including 29.2 (7-of-24) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 63.6 (14-of-22) percent from the free throw line in the victory.
 
Alabama State continue their three-game road trip, facing Mississippi Valley State at 7:30 pm Monday before facing Alabama A&M to close out the trip next Saturday.