DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | Alabama State University men's basketball dropped an 82–71 Southwestern Athletic Conference road decision to Bethune-Cookman University on Thursday night at Moore Gymnasium.

The Hornets (9-18, 6-8 SWAC) were paced by Tyler Mack's game-high 21 points, but a decisive first-half surge by the Wildcats proved too much to overcome.

Bethune-Cookman (14-13, 11-3 SWAC) shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the opening half and built a 52–39 lead at the break. The Wildcats extended their advantage to as many as 18 points during the first period and never trailed, controlling the tempo for nearly the entire contest.

Mack was highly efficient, knocking down 7-of-10 shots from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range while adding five rebounds. Jerquarius Stanback contributed 13 points and six rebounds, and Asjon Anderson added seven points for Alabama State, which received 43 points from its bench.

Despite the early deficit, the Hornets showed resilience in the second half, trimming the margin to single digits on multiple occasions. Mack sparked the rally with three second-half three-pointers, but Alabama State struggled to string together defensive stops as Bethune-Cookman maintained a double-digit cushion down the stretch.

Jakobi Heady led the Wildcats with 26 points, while Daniel Rouzan added 15 and Quentin Heady chipped in 13. Bethune-Cookman shot 50 percent for the game and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, capitalizing on efficient offensive execution.

Alabama State finished 26-of-67 (38.8 percent) from the field and 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from three-point range. The Hornets held a 36–40 rebounding deficit but outscored the Wildcats 43–20 in bench production and 34–32 in points in the paint.

The Hornets return to action Saturday as they continue SWAC play at Florida A&M.