LORMAN, Miss. | Alabama State came up short in their second overtime game of the season, falling to Alcorn State 74-69 at the Davey L. Whitney Center in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action Saturday night.

Alabama State led most of the contest after falling behind early, and held a 61-58 advantage with under a minute remaining in regulation, but a three-pointer from Reginal Johnson tied the game up and sent it to overtime. In the overtime period, Alcorn State pulled ahead before Alabama State gave themselves a chance at the end.

The Hornets were down by four when Reginald Gee hit the front end of a two-shot foul, before Branden Johnson missed a tip-in with a chance to trim the lead to two. The Braves were able to come down and knock down a free throw for the final margin.

Jacoby Ross led Alabama State (10-14, 8-5 SWAC) with 21 points, including knocking down four three-pointers, while Reginald Gee added 16 in the loss. Leon Daniels came off the bench to add 11, while Tobi Ewuosho grabbed 10 rebounds for the Hornets who shot 34.4 (21-of-61) percent from the floor in the loss. They also shot 30.0 (9-of-30) percent from beyond the arc, and 75 (18-of-24) percent from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Johnson led Alcorn State (9-17, 5-9 SWAC) with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Troymain Crosby and Maurice Howard each added 14. The Braves shot 48.3 (29-of-60) percent from the floor and 20 (4-of-20) percent from beyond the arc, while hitting on just 57.1 (12-of-21) percent from the free throw line.

Noteworthy
Alabama State sits in third place following the contest, and will hold third place by themselves with a Texas Southern victory over UAPB.

The overtime game was the second of the season for the Hornets, who defeated Mississippi Valley State on the road in their first overtime game.

Alabama State and Alcorn State split the season series, with each winning on their own home floor.

The Hornets committed just 10 turnovers in the loss, but did not record a blocked shot. They also forced 16 Alcorn State turnovers.

Quotable
"We had our chances, we just didn't get it done. They just out-toughed us tonight, especially down the stretch. We just stood around and let them get shots up late, we didn't do a good job of defending down the stretch. We gave them open threes, and they would knock the rebound out and get another chance. But we have to do a better job of knocking free throws when we get to the line." – Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson on the loss

"We just have to do a better job at the free throw line. We had a good percentage at the line tonight, but we couldn't knock them down when we needed to, and that is what it is going to take in this league to win. There are no easy places to play, and Southern is going to be another tough place to play Monday night." – Jackson about his team shooting free throws

What's Next
Alabama State returns to action Monday night on the road against Southern, with tip set for 7:30 pm. The game can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network beginning 15 minutes prior to tip.

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