BATON ROUGE, La. | In a game that saw 11 lead changes and four ties, it was the last lead change that proved too much for Alabama State as the Hornets fell down the stretch to Southern 75-66 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action Monday night.

The Hornets trailed the majority of the first half until LaTrell Tate knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull Alabama State to within a point at 31-30 at intermission. Alabama State (4-9, 4-9 SWAC) used that momentum to pull ahead 42-37 with 15:24 to play in the game, and the Hornets led 54-52 with eight minutes remaining before Southern went on a 13-1 run to take a 65-55 lead with 2:01 to play.

The Hornets would not go away as Kenny Strawbridge hit a short jumper to pull Alabama State to within 67-60, before a DJ Heath steal and subsequent layup with 1:09 to play pulled the Hornets to within 67-62. However, Southern was able to put the game away at the free throw line down the stretch.

Tate paced four players in double figures with 17 points off the bench, while Brandon Battle added 14 points and five rebounds. Kevion Stewart and Jordan O'Neal each added 10 for the Hornets who finished the night shooting 40.0 (22-for-55) percent from the floor and 30.4 (7-for-23) percent from beyond the arc.

Alabama State returns to action Wednesday afternoon against Alcorn State in Lorman (Miss.) in a game that was originally scheduled for Saturday. The two will tip at 4:30 pm and the game will be carried by the Hornet Sports Network.

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