MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University men's basketball team will put its season-long three-game winning streak to the test on Saturday when the Hornets visit Alcorn State in a key Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game.
"We did what when needed to do and that was take care of business at home," Alabama State head coach
Lewis Jackson said. "Now we have to continue what we have done to start the second half of the season on the road. We know Alcorn is a good team. They beat us at our place in a really close game and I felt we didn't play our best game in that first matchup. It should be a good, hard fought game on Saturday."
Alabama State (8-16 overall, 6-6 SWAC) is coming off a come-from-behind 97-89 triple overtime thriller at home on Saturday against Alabama A&M. The Hornets have won three straight, all coming at home, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M. Alcorn State (13-11, 10-3) have won eight straight, including a 70-58 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday.
Against Alabama A&M, the Hornets trailed for most of the second half and needed buckets by
Reginald Gee,
Tony Armstrong and
Torloft Thomas to force overtime. Alabama State outlasted its rivals in the third overtime, 17-9, to grab the win.
Rodney Simeon paced five Hornet players in double figures as he finished with a team-high 25 points, on 9-of-15 shooting and four 3-pointers. Also, he grabbed 11 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end. Armstrong came off the bench to finish with 22 points and 13 boards, with 10 coming on the defensive glass. Gee and
Terrance LeFlore each had 15 and 12 points, respectively. Thomas chipped in with 11 points, including a clutch 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Alabama State, which moved into fourth place in the SWAC standings, shot nearly 37 percent (28-of-76) and 70 percent (33-of-47) from the free-throw line as the Hornets completed the season sweep over Alabama A&M and the first since 2011-12.
Alcorn State, which has won eight straight for the first time since 2001-02, is the seventh-longest active streak in the country. The Braves, who are 6-0 this season when holding the opposition to under 60 points, erased a 10-point first-half deficit, which was the largest it has overcome this season.
Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday, A.J. Mosby scored a career-high 22 points and DeAndre Davis added 20 to lift Alcorn State to the win and move the Braves within a half game of the top spot in the SWAC standings.
Alabama State is looking to avoid the season sweep from Alcorn State. In the previous matchup this season (Jan. 21), the Braves held off the Hornets, 78-71, at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
In that contest, Armstrong and Simeon paced Alabama State with 13 points each, while Gee added 12 points. Maurice Howard led the Braves with 18 points.
Tip-off on Saturday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex in Lorman, Miss., is set for 5:30 p.m.
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