MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State returns eight players, including their top three scorers from a season ago as they hit the road to face Iowa State in the season opener Tuesday night.

The Hornets, who were picked to finish fifth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), are in search of their first season-opening victory since the 2015-16 season when the Hornets opened with a victory over Huntingdon on their way to back-to-back victories. The Hornets knocked off Virginia Tech in the second game of that season.

All eight players who return this season for the Hornets all have seen time in the starting lineup at some point in their career, with all eight being inserted into the starting lineup last season. Of those eight, the top three scorers – Reginald Gee, Jacoby Ross and Branden Johnson – all return, as they averaged 36 points combined last season for Alabama State. Gee, a second-team All-SWAC selection in the preseason, led the team at 15.5 points per game and scored a career-high 30 points in the season finale against Texas Southern in the conference tournament last season.

Meanwhile, Ross – who averaged 12.5 points per game last season – returns looking to build on his Freshman of the Year award last season from the conference, while Johnson – a second-team preseason selection in the SWAC – returns after averaging nearly a double-double for the majority of the season. He finished the year averaging 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Hornets.

The Hornets return a wealth of experience around those three including point guard Gene Davis (2.2 assists/game), combo players Tobi Ewuosho (6.3 points/game) and Austin Rogers (2.4 points/game), while post players Ed Jones (6.3 points/game) and Fausto Pichardo (4.4 points/game) return to add depth.

Alabama State, who got a chance to practice for 10 days while traveling on an international tour to the Bahamas, enter the season with their newcomers already getting game experience. The Hornets added Therrell Gosier II, Kevin Holston, AJ Farrar and Leon Daniels from the junior college ranks this season; while also adding Azariah Seay and John Sellars as true freshman to the roster.

The game tips at 7 pm inside the Hilton Coliseum, and can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network beginning with pregame at 6:45 pm.

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