ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | A trip that started last Tuesday and covered seven states, concludes this weekend at the St. Pete Shootout with Alabama State playing a pair of games beginning Friday afternoon.

Alabama State (2-7) hits the floor in the tournament opener against a familiar foe, Liberty (9-3), with tip set for 12 noon (est) at the McArthur Center on the campus of Eckerd College. The game will be carried on the Hornet Sports Network beginning at 11:45 am (est) with the pregame show.

The Hornets and Liberty faced each other in the New Orleans Shootout last season, with the Flames coming out on top with an 87-70 victory. Ed Jones led the Hornets with 16 points and nine rebounds in the loss, while Jacoby Ross added 14. Reginald Gee chipped in 12 and Rodney Simeon 11 for the Hornets in their final game before the Christmas break last season.

The Hornets enter the contest Friday afternoon looking to end a five-game losing streak, all away from home, and are looking to end a 21-game skid of non-conference games played away from the Dunn-Oliver Acadome dating back to 2016. The last game the Hornets won in non-conference play away from home came in November 2016 against Cal-State Fullerton at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas (Nev.). They enter the Friday contest off a 78-57 loss to Sam Houston State Tuesday night in Huntsville (Texas), led by Jacoby Ross with 21 points.

Ross leads the Hornets in scoring at 14.1 points per game, while hitting on 39.3 (24-of-61) percent from beyond the arc which ranks him among the best in the conference. He is also shooting 95 (19-of-20) percent from the free throw line on the season, including hitting his first 13 of the season. The sophomore leads the team in assists with 24 total, averaging 2.4 per game.

Meanwhile, Reginald Gee is averaging 13.9 per game and is closing in on 1,000 career points for his career at Alabama State. The junior is hitting 51.5 (17-of-33) percent of his three-point opportunities, and has connected on 81.3 (26-of-32) percent of his free throws. Meanwhile, Brandon Johnson is averaging 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to lead the Hornets on the board; while Fausto Pichardo is among the best in the conference with nine blocked shots – including four against Sam Houston State.

The game is the first of two that will wrap up an 11-day trip for the Hornets that has covered seven states and over 8,000 total miles. The trip wraps up non-conference play for Alabama State, who returns to action after this weekend at home January 5.

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