MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State dropped a back-and-forth Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) matchup to Southern, 71-67 Saturday night at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
"This was a tough one," Alabama State head coach
Lewis Jackson said. "Everyone is trying to position themselves for the tournament and it's getting tough down the stretch. We just have to do a better job of running our offense, especially when you play a team like Southern is as disciplined as they are."
Reginald Gee led Alabama State (6-19, 6-7 SWAC) with 21 points on 50 (7-of-14) percent shooting from the floor and seven rebounds.
Jacoby Ross also finished in double figures with 12 for the Hornets, and added seven assists, while
Gene Davis chipped in nine points off the bench for Alabama State.
The Hornets shot 42.3 (22-of-52) percent from the floor and 35.7 (5-of-14) percent from beyond the arc, while also hitting on 78.3 (18-of-23) percent from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, Jared Sam led Southern (13-14, 9-5 SWAC) with 18 points, with most of his damage coming at the free throw line as he finished 10-of-14 on the night. He also finished with nine rebounds to, while Chris Thomas finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Southern shot 39.6 (21-of-53) percent from the floor and 60 (6-of-10) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 67.6 (23-of-34) percent from the free throw line.
The game had eight lead changes, and was tied nine different times including a span of seven consecutive minutes where the lead either changed hands of the game was tied.
Alabama State returns to action Monday against Alcorn State at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, with game time set for 8:05 pm. The game will be carried by ESPNU, and can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network.
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