Normal, Alabama -- In their second meeting of the season, the Alabama A&M- Alabama State match up did not disappoint.
Like the first game in Montgomery, action in Huntsville began early and was frequent. Both teams asserted themselves offensively from the first whistle. The Maroon & White held the early lead at 13-12 by the first media timeout (14:34).
Action remained frantic between the rival programs for the next eight minutes. By the six minute mark the Maroon & White held a three point lead at 28-25, after leading by as many as 10. The visiting Hornets went on a run to end the half and stole the lead from the Bulldogs. At the half, the visiting Hornets held a 36-30 lead.
A.J. Capers and Jeremy Crutcher lead scoring for the home team with 10 first half points each.
Maurice Strong led the Hornets with 11 points, with Tony Armstrong adding seven.
Coming out the break, both teams got right back into the flow of things. A&M went on a run to close the Hornet lead to two; however, ASU was able to extend the lead to six at 44-38 by the first media time out.
The visitors continued to maintain a six-point lead with A&M fighting to stay in arms reach. The Bulldogs increased their defensive pressure and showed multiple looks in hopes of cutting the Hornet advantage.
The Maroon & White crowd exploded in support of the Bulldogs as a Crutcher three pointer brought them within three at 55-52 with just 3:00 left on the clock. On the ensuing possessions, both teams would sink a pair of free throws keeping the game at a three-point reach.
With 1:23 left in the game, the Bulldogs stole the ball and cut the lead to one after again sinking two clutch free throws. ASU head coach, Lewis Jackson, would call a timeout after a huge made basket by Jamel Waters to increase State's lead to three at 59-56 with just a minute left to play.
The senior Jeremy Crutcher came up huge again, hitting a layup and the resulting free throw to tie the game 59-59 with 19.4 on the clock.
A last second three-point attempt by the Hornets was unsuccessful and there was overtime on "The Hill" for only the third time this season.
In overtime the Bulldogs used the energy from the 3,510 in attendance to outscore State 9-6 resulting in the seventh conference win.
Jeremy Crutcher led all scorers with 27 points shooting 10-20 from the floor. This was a career high for the Hazel Green native. A.J. Capers added 16 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals to aid the Maroon & White victory.
The 10-12 Bulldogs (7-5 SWAC), will return to action Saturday, February 22, when they host the Jaguars of Southern University.
Box Score
COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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