ITTA BENA, Miss. | TJ Madlock was the lone player in double figures for Alabama State, but it was his final three points that proved to be the biggest of the night in a 54-51 victory over Mississippi Valley State at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex on Saturday night, opening Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play.
Madlock finished with 13 points, but the biggest shot of the night came with 6.4 seconds remaining on the clock when he
got to the basket and hit a shot in the lane to tie the game at 51-all. He gave Alabama State (6-8, 1-0 SWAC) the lead on the subsequent free throw to convert the three-point play and a 52-51 lead.
Following a timeout, the Hornets were able to steal the ball and ended the game on an
Amarr Knox dunk for the final margin.
Micah Octave and
Isaiah Range each finished with a team-high seven rebounds.
Donovan Sanders led Mississippi Valley State with 11 points while Rayquan Brown finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Arecko Gipson and Danny Washington each ended the night with 10 points.
How It Happened
- The lead saw four lead changes and seven ties with Alabama State holding as much as a nine-point lead (4:27 in the first half). Mississippi Valley State held as much as a five-point lead with 6:37 in the second half.
- Alabama State held a five-point lead after an 8-2 run to start the second half before Mississippi Valley State led by three late in the contest.
- The Hornets finished the night shooting 34.0 (18-of-53) percent from the floor and 11.8 (2-of-17) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 61.5 (16-of-26) percent from the free throw line.
- Mississippi Valley State finished the night shooting 42.5 (17-of-40) percent from the floor and 38.5 (5-of-13) from beyond the arc. They also shot 66.7 (12-of-18) percent from the free throw line.
- The Hornets won the rebounding battle 38-33 and forced 16 turnovers.
Alabama State Notes
- Octave recorded a steal late in the second half, extending his streak to 14 consecutive games with a steal to open the season.
- Alabama State connected on a pair of three-pointers in the game, extending its streak to 178 consecutive road games with at least one three-pointer dating back to the 2010-11 season.
- Sean Smith recorded four points extending his streak of scoring to 14 straight games.
- Madlock scored in double figures for the 13th time in 14 games this season and is 40 points shy of 1,000 career points.
- Range scored eight points in the loss and sits 20 points shy of 1,000 points for his career.
Up Next
Alabama State continues its road swing to open conference play facing UAPB on Monday night. The game tips at 7:30 p.m. at H.O. Clemmons Arena and will be carried by the Hornet Sports Network.
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