MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State used a season-high in blocks and four players in double figures to pull away from LaGrange 97-63 in the home opener at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome Sunday night.
Reginald Gee led the Hornets with 24 points on 70 (7-of-10) percent shooting from the floor and a perfect night from the free throw line (7-of-7) and from beyond the arc (3-of-3).
Jacoby Ross added 20 and two assist, while hitting three three-pointers – giving him 10 over the last two games. Meanwhile,
Austin Rogers and
Branden Johnson added 10 points, while Johnson grabbed seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
"Our guys played good today," Alabama State head coach
Lewis Jackson said. "We felt like tonight that our depth would carry us, and looking at the stats it did. Reggie (Gee) got off to a hot start in the first half with 18, and Jacoby knocked some shots from the perimeter. Having those two guys, along with Austin and Branden having good nights, really helps. It was great to be at home, and great to look up into stands and see the Hornet faithful."
Alabama State led the majority of the game with just two ties throughout the night, and built a 36-point lead with just two minutes remaining in the game. They pushed the lead to 30 late in the first half, and kept it there for most of the game.
After LaGrange tied the contest 3-3 with 18:40 to play, they pushed lead to 11-8 on a 11-0 run over the first four minutes. However, the Hornets came right back and tied the game up on a pair of free throws from Rogers with 15:20 to play, and those shots came in the midst of an 11-0 run by the Hornets to take a 14-11 lead with 13:13 to play in the first half.
From there, it was all Alabama State as they Hornets pushed the lead to 29-15 with 9:42 to play in the half, and the lead grew to 20 with 5:19 to play in the half. Alabama State did not let up the remainder of the first half and pushed the lead to 30 on a pair of free throws from Ross with 21 seconds to play.
Alabama State (1-2) used 10 blocks from six different players to hold LaGrange to just 31.8 (21-of-66) percent from the floor and 32 (8-of-25) percent from beyond the arc. The Hornets shot 47.7 (31-of-65) percent from the floor themselves, including 47.1 (16-of-34) percent in the first half. They finished at 40 (6-of-15) percent from beyond the arc and 74.4 (29-of-39) percent from the free throw line, while winning the rebounding battle 46-39.
Alabama State returns to action Wednesday night, as they host Birmingham-Southern at 7 pm. The game will be carried by the Hornet Sports Network, with pregame set for 6:45 pm.
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