JACKSON, Miss. | Alabama State found itself down 19 in the first half only to come back and take a second half lead, before missing a shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, falling to Jackson State 70-67 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for both teams.

The Hornets grabbed their first lead with 13:08 to play in the game at 46-45 on a DJ Heath layup, before they pushed it out to a four-point lead a 53-49 with 10:22 to play. After both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the game, Tobi Ewuosho banked in a three-pointer with under a minute left as the shot clock went to triple zero to tie the game at 67-all.

Just 11 seconds later, Jackson State took the lead on a Venji Wallis lay-up with 29 seconds remaining and converted on the free throw to push the lead to 70-67. After a timeout, Alabama State missed a three-pointer from the left wing and after a Jackson State missed free throw, they had another chance to tie the game up, but the shot was off to the right for the final margin.

Alabama State (1-13, 0-1 SWAC) got down 34-15 with 7:26 remaining in the opening half, before they went on a 13-0 run to trim the deficit to 34-28 with 4:10 to play in the half. Following a pair of free throws by Jackson State, the Hornets extended the run to 23-4 and tie the game up at 38-all with just 1:14 to play before Jackson State took a two-point lead into the locker room.

Ewuosho led four players in double figures with 20 points on 55.6 (5-of-9) percent shooting from the floor and 81.8 (9-of-11) percent shooting from the free throw line. He also finished with six rebounds, while DJ Heath finished with a career-high 13 points, while AJ Farrar added 12 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Leon Daniels chipped in 10 for the Hornets, who finished the night shooting 44.7 (21-of-47) percent from the floor and 29.4 (5-of-17) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 60.6 (20-of-33) percent from the free throw line, while collecting 37 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Tristan Jarrett and Roland Griffin combined for 45 of the points for Jackson State (4-10, 1-0 SWAC), with Jarrett finishing with a game-high 31. Jackson State finished the night shooting 38.6 (22-of-57) percent from the floor and just 7.1 (1-of-14) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 73.5 (25-of-34) percent from the free throw line.

#Noteworthy
The Hornets played without three players Saturday night, with Tyrese Robinson missing his 11th game this season with a lower leg injury. Meanwhile, Jacoby Ross and Kevion Stewart were both held out due to illness. The trio averages 15 points per game this season for the Hornets.

Heath finished with a career-high 13 points, beating his previous mark of nine against UAB in the Basketball Destination St. Pete Shootout in December.

Alabama State used their seventh different starting lineup this season against Jackson State due to the injuries and the illnesses this week.

The four players in double figures for Alabama State is the first time this season that they have had more than three in double figures in a single game.

#Quotable
"We knew we needed to come out with a lot of energy because of the way these two teams play each other, and because of what happened here last year in the SWAC Tournament. They came out and were able to push us around a little bit with their energy, but once we were able to settle down and run our offense and use our pressure defense." – Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson on the start

"We had a chance to go up right before half after being down 19, and to be able to get up in the second half after several opportunities tells you how hard we played. After that we started taking quick shots and getting out of our offense, but we were able to get it to come down to the last shot. We had something drawn up, but we didn't get what we wanted. It is a tough loss." – Jackson on loss

#Up Next
Alabama State hits the road Monday in their second Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest on the road against Grambling State. The game is set to tip at 7:30 pm, and it will be carried on the Hornet Sports Network.

#Follow the Hornets
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