MONTGOMERY, Ala. | With just two games remaining in the regular season, Alabama State finds itself marred in a battle for the fifth seed as they sit two games back of Jackson State – the opponent Thursday night at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Alabama State (7-21, 7-9 SWAC) and Jackson State will meet for the second time this season with the Hornets needing a win in both games and some help to move to fifth in the conference standings, as they look to hold off Alcorn State who is tied with them in the standings. The only seed that is locked in heading into the tournament is Mississippi Valley State as the eighth seed.
The Hornets look to get back on track against Jackson State after dropping a pair of games on the road this week, after winning four out of five previously. Alabama State is led by sophomore
Reginald Gee at 14.9 points per game, which is good for a spot in the top 10 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and he currently sits at 685 career points.
Meanwhile, freshman
Jacoby Ross is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while
Branden Johnson is averaging a near double-double in conference play after a 16 point-17 rebound performance against Prairie View A&M on Saturday.
The two teams met back on January 2 with Jackson State claiming an 82-73 victory despite an 18-point performance from Ross.
Reginald Gee and
Ed Jones added 12 points in the loss, while Jackson State was led by Paris Collins with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Hornets will also face Grambling State this week to close out the regular season, as they meet on Saturday for Senior Day inside the Dunn-Oliver Acadome. It will be the second meeting of the year between the two teams as the Hornets won 74-66 on the road.
In that contest, Alabama State trailed until six minutes left to go in the game before holding for the victory late.
Branden Johnson led Alabama State with his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds.
Jacoby Ross led Alabama State with 14 points, while
Reginald Gee added 11 and
Ed Jones 10 in the win.
The contest against Jackson State will tip at 5:30 pm on Thursday night and has been dubbed #TBT to the '90s. All fans are encouraged to wear your favorite '90s gear and will be admitted free with two canned goods.
Both games will be carried on the Hornet Sports Network.
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